The Ancient Tribes
by entity9silvergen
Summary: After helping the Three regain their lost spirits, Crane's Wing stayed in ThunderClan instead of returning to his tribe. But after being a warrior for many moons, he receives a dream warning him of danger coming. The third tribe is returning and he is the only one who can hope to save catkind. [Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors] [Sequel to The Ancient Spirits]
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Aaaannnd we're back!

This story takes place a year after the story The Ancient Spirits and will focus on Crane's Wing and lore regarding the tribes and the ancients. It is for the most part the same lore as the story The Wrong Pawsteps. However, the story is better explained here though it's better executed in TWPS. TAT and TWPS are two completely separate stories, you do not need to read one to understand the other but you should read The Ancient Spirits before reading The Ancient Tribes.

Updates won't be as frequent as they were for The Ancient Spirits. TAS was completed before I uploaded it, this is not but they won't be too infrequent.

Also the writing style is the same as The Ancient Spirits, not The Wrong Pawsteps.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Fernsong! Hollytuft! Sorrelstripe! Fernsong! Hollytuft! Sorrelstripe!"

The chanting filled the ThunderClan camp, three new warriors glowing proudly at their place beneath the highledge. Bramblestar looked down on them looking just as proud as he finished the warrior's ceremony.

Among the voices calling the new warriors' names, two stood out. One, of course, was the warriors' father, Lionblaze. The other was the silvery grey tom standing beside him.

"Lionblaze! Cranewing!" The three new warriors bounded away from their place, eyes shining to greet their father and the grey tom.

"You really should be running to your mentors instead of these old fleabags," Cranewing purred in amusement.

Lionblaze swatted him with his tail. "Hey! We're not that old. We're not even close to being senior warriors let alone elders."

Hollytuft snickered. "Don't worry. We were just going to head over to them. We just wanted to see you two first."

"Well then, go," Lionblaze said. "Rosepetal, Cloudtail, and Blossomfall are waiting for you."

"Right," Sorrelstripe said with a flick of her tail. "See you later!"

Cranewing watched his friend's three kits bound off to meet their former mentors. _They grow up so fast. It feels like just a few days ago, they were newborns._

Beside him, Lionblaze purred.

"I can't believe their warriors already," Lionblaze said, voicing his thoughts.

"Yeah," Cranewing agreed with a nod. He felt a pang in his chest. He blinked. _What is this? Am I… sad? Why would I be sad on such a happy day?_

He didn't have to think about it much to figure it out. It had been on his mind for a few days no matter how much he denied it. Lionblaze's kits were warriors. He'd heard their names. A season cycle ago, he had told Bramblestar he would regret leaving the clan without hearing their warrior names. Now that he'd heard them… did that mean it was time to leave?

Cranewing shook his head, clearing those thoughts. It was Crane's Wing who had spoken with Bramblestar that day. He was Cranewing now, warrior of ThunderClan. Not Crane's Wing, member of the Jay's Wing line of the Tribe of the Sacred Lines. Not the joke of his tribe, not the screw up who couldn't keep up with his lessons. He was Cranewing, a reliable, responsible warrior of one of the four warrior clans.

Still, finally hearing the names he'd looked forward to hearing so much… It stirred up those old memories. He missed his family and friends back in his tribe but after watching Lionblaze's kits grow from newborns into fine warriors, he knew he'd miss them more than he could ever miss his tribe if he left.

* * *

Late in the night, Cranewing tossed and turned in his nest before finally giving up and just rolling over. He sighed. He couldn't sleep. Not only was he not tired, he had too much on his mind. For a split second he had thought of his old tribe and now that was all he could think about.

Were his siblings keeping up with their lessons? Was his mother worried about him? How was Lynx's Roar doing without him? Were the other lines shaming him? Saying he was dead? Asking their shama to send another cat on his journey? Did Solar Sigil know he completed his mission? Was he assuring the other cats that he wasn't dead?

Cranewing shifted, burying himself deeper into the moss of his nest but he knew it was pointless to try and hide from the anxious thoughts tormenting his mind. It didn't work that way.

"Stop moving, Cranewing," Dovewing hissed from a few nests over.

"Sorry," Cranewing mumbled in response. Deciding he wasn't going to get any sleep, he got to his paws and made his way out of the den, nearly tripping over Lionblaze in the process but the golden tom didn't wake.

Cranewing saw Thornclaw on guard duty and debated offering to take over for him but his gaze drifted to the three forms crouched in the middle of camp.

"Hey," Cranewing greeted. Sorrelstripe, Hollytuft, and Fernsong looked at him, surprised. They were in their silent vigil so they couldn't speak but if they could, they'd surely ask what he was doing there. "Can I join you?"

That just made them look even more confused. Fernsong was the first to nod. Cranewing smiled gratefully though it was hard to see in the dark of the night. He settled down beside him and put his head down on his paws.

On their first night as warriors, clan cats would sit a silent vigil to think about what it meant to be a warrior and observe their clanmates. Since moving to the lake, it was only at night so there wasn't much observation but that was what Cranewing needed. A chance to think about what it meant to be a warrior.

He glanced over at Sorrelstripe, Hollytuft, and Fernsong. Hollytuft looked deep in thought but Sorrelstripe and Fernsong just looked bored. Cranewing bit back a purr. He remembered his own vigil. It took a long time to get into a good pondering mood.

Watching the three of them, it reminded him to why he stayed in the clan in the first place. Without thinking, he moved his head to Fernsong's ear and whispered, "Your mother would be proud of you if she was here."

Fernsong's expression saddened and Cranewing felt guilty. Then, Fernsong brightened a bit and lifted his chin to the sky, silently telling Cranewing she was watching from StarClan. Cranewing licked the top of the young tom's head comfortingly then put his head back down.

After returning from their journey to the forest, Cranewing had wanted to leave before going back to camp. He wasn't a ThunderClan cat, he wasn't welcome. Then Brackenfur spoke to him and he remembered how lonely traveling was. He didn't want to be lonely again so he followed him and the three back to camp. He thought he would just stay a moment before leaving.

Lionblaze had an overjoyed reunion with Cinderheart. Briarlight and Jayfeather were happy to see each other again. Dovewing and Ivypool purred so hard that Cranewing could feel it in the ground.

But he had no one. The only cat he could ever greet like that was far, far away. And right there, surrounded by friendly cats, Cranewing felt lonely. And he wanted to leave.

Bramblestar had insisted he stay for awhile to regain his strength. It was pointless, Cranewing was a seasoned traveler but he stayed anyway. Then Cinderheart began kitting. And then she died.

Cranewing would never forgive himself if he left a heartbroken Lionblaze and three motherless kits then. So he stayed. He knew toms didn't stay in the nursery but Lionblaze couldn't properly take care of his kits in that state. Cranewing could never be their parent but he could try to fill the void the best he could. So he stayed. While he couldn't give milk, he could offer them his warmth and a body to snuggle against in the night.

They weren't his kits but Cranewing learned how a mother's love felt. He had worried if they were getting enough food, he was there when they opened their eyes for the first time, he had watched over them when they left the nursery for the first time, he felt such pride when they became apprentices. He knew he couldn't leave them.

But of course, he was a tom and he couldn't stay in ThunderClan as a queen. Once Lionblaze had recovered and the kits didn't need constant attention, Cranewing asked Bramblestar for an apprenticeship.

Bramblestar had been surprised. After all, Cranewing was several times older than any apprentice. He was older than Lionblaze and Jayfeather for StarClan's sake and he wanted an apprenticeship.

Bramblestar had given in and due to his age, let Cranewing pick his mentor and warrior name and also have a shorter apprenticeship. Cranewing, of course, had temporarily taken the name Cranepaw and had chosen Brackenfur as his mentor.

He had received training back with his tribe and his apprenticeship only lasted two moons. A few cats were hesitant to let him join the clan, he was an outsider after all, but Cranewing didn't mind. Lionblaze, Hollypaw, Fernpaw, Sorrelpaw, Brackenfur, Bramblestar, Dovewing, and Jayfeather, the only cats he care about here, accepted him and that made him happy.

Watching the sun rise on the horizon, Cranewing realized wondering if he should return to his tribe was a stupid thought. He couldn't believe it crossed his mind. Here in ThunderClan, he had more than he ever did in his tribe.

* * *

**Author's Note:** *Cackles evilly* Cinderheart is dead! Mwahahaha! *silently cries*


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, you three. Your vigil is- Cranewing. What are you doing?"

"Um. Hi Squirrelflight," Cranewing said weakly, looking up from his position to see Squirrelflight standing over them presumably to let the three new warriors know their vigil was over. _I did not think this through._ "I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd… y'know. Get some thinking done."

Squirrelflight sighed. "Well, I was coming down to let the new warriors know they get a pass on dawn patrol to go rest but you certainly don't."

Cranewing blinked. Fernsong, Hollytuft, and Sorrelstripe got up in a hurry to retreat to their nests.

"Seeya."

"Peace."

Sorrelstripe didn't say anything. She just flicked her tail goodbye.

"You're on dawn patrol," Squirrelflight told him.

"What? Why?" Cranewing protested. _If I'd stayed in my nest, she definitely wouldn't have called my for dawn patrol._

"Because you were stupid enough to stay up all night," Squirrelflight responded. Cranewing grumbled but didn't say anything. He couldn't argue with his deputy. "Now get over to the highledge."

Getting up, Cranewing realized he probably should have stretched before he laid down or at least moved around a bit. He was as stiff as a log. _Now I understand why Purdy is always complaining about stiff joints…_

"Dawn patrol!" Squirrelflight yowled, her voice barreling across camp. Cranewing winced. In his travels, he met a farmcat who told him about a creature called a rooster that screamed at the peak of dawn every morning to wake the twolegs. Squirrelflight reminded him of a rooster.

Cranewing, already being out of the warriors den, was the first to the highledge. Slowly, blurry eyed cats began creeping out of their dens over to report for dawn patrol.

"Cloudtail, you're leading a patrol towards the ShadowClan border," Squirrelflight said. Cloudtail nodded curtly in acknowledgement. "Take Blossomfall, Poppyfrost, and Birchfall."

"Alright," Cloudtail said and waved his fluffy white tail to beckon his patrol over. The three cats got up and followed him out the thorn barrier.

"Lilyheart." Lilyheart squeaked at the sound of her name. "You're leading Lionblaze, Cranewing, and… Brackenfur to mark the WindClan border."

Lilyheart nodded though it was clear she was nervous about leading a patrol of warriors so much more experienced than herself. Cranewing gave her a reassuring smile. She relaxed.

"Snowbush, you've got hunting patrol," Squirrelflight went on but Cranewing tuned her out and followed his patrol out the thorn barrier.

* * *

"WindClan has been a bit aggressive about the whole river situation so be careful," Lilyheart cautioned.

"Don't worry, we're used to it," Brackenfur assured. Lilyheart looked down. Her nerves were getting to her.

"Don't try so hard," Cranewing told her quietly. "This isn't your first time leading a patrol, don't be so nervous."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just not used to leading senior warriors."

"Well, Lionblaze and I are here too," Cranewing pointed out.

"And Lionblaze is probably the best warrior in the clan and you're… you," she said.

Cranewing blinked, not really knowing what that meant. He shook his pelt. "Did you ever hear about my first patrol?"

Lilyheart shook her head.

"Lionblaze and I stood at the ShadowClan border and made fun of ShadowClan cats," Cranewing told her. "Rowanstar brought it up at the next Gathering. We got stuck on tick duty for half a moon."

Lilyheart broke into a purr of amusement.

"It's a wonder they even let me on patrols let alone lead them," Cranewing went on. "Don't worry, you're doing fine."

"Thanks Cranewing," Lilyheart said and moved to the front of the patrol. Lionblaze shot Cranewing a sly look. Cranewing made a face and paused a moment to kick dirt in his direction. Lionblaze cackled and broke into a purr.

"WindClan patrol up ahead," Brackenfur warned. Cranewing looked up to see a number of WindClan cats marking their side of the river. They seemed to notice the ThunderClan cats at the same moment they noticed them and abandoned their work to group together.

"You WindClan cats better-" Lilyheart started but was cut of by Lionblaze.

"Hey Crowfeather! Guess what?" Lionblaze called over the river excitedly. "My kits had their warrior ceremony!"

Crowfeather broke into a purr. "That's great!"

"Don't talk to the ThunderClan cats!" Weaselfur hissed, swatting him in the face with his tail. Crowfeather scrunched his face up and leaned away.

"Stop that," Crowfeather said and waded into the river a few steps so he could talk to his son. Lionblaze began chattering excitedly.

"How's prey running in ThunderClan?" Leaftail asked ignoring the two.

"Fine," Brackenfur responded. "How about WindClan?"

"Fine," Leaftail said, copying Brackenfur's answer. No clan cat would ever admit it if prey wasn't running well.

"We need to mark the borders," Lilyheart reminded.

"Let Lionblaze talk with his father," Brackenfur told her. "He doesn't get to very often and it's not everyday your kits become warriors."

"I'll cover for him until he's done," Cranewing said and moved down the river to begin laying down scent markers. He glanced over and saw how Lionblaze's eyes shown as he spoke and Crowfeather nod, seeming genuinely interested. _They've come a long way._

Cranewing yawned, feeling the effects of staying up all night as he put down his first marker. _I am so taking a nap when I get back to camp..._

* * *

**Author's Note:** Short chapter but the next one's going to be a good one.

What do y'all think of Lilyheart and Crane's Wing? Just curious.

Also, I've been working on a Young Justice/ Naruto Xover for like a month now and I'm pretty far a long. You guys interested in seeing it?

Reviews-

_Darth Jay:_ I'm sorry. It had to happen.

_Wolfjem:_ A year passed between this story and the last one. Cinderheart's death was pretty rough but they've had time to get over it. Yes, it does seem like that :p

_Goreslash:_ Me too. But I thought people wouldn't like it so I didn't include it in the story.


	3. Chapter 3

Cranewing found himself surrounded by fog. He frowned, not recognizing where he was then remembered hitting his nest earlier. He'd been so tired after border patrol then had been sent on a hunting patrol. He clean passed out in his nest the moment he could.

That didn't explain the weird environment of his dream. His dreams were usually pretty similar. They usually involved a lot of wandering which made sense since he spent so much of his life traveling. He'd never been surrounded by fog before.

Cranewing looked down and saw nothing beneath his paws. He felt a familiar feeling that he hadn't felt in a long time. Anxiety. Nervousness. Unease. _That's not normal._

He vaguely remembered Jayfeather describing the realm Jay's Wing was trapped in after leaving the Astral Plane. He had said it was filled with nothing but thick, grey fog that covered no sky, ground, or horizon. He said that it had driven Jay's Wing insane. When he had heard about it, Cranewing had been worried since Jayfeather was now Jay's Wing but the tom had insisted he was fine.

This place looked so much like the place Jayfeather had described but he didn't understand how he could have ended up there. Maybe this was just a normal dream. He'd been pretty tired, maybe his exhaustion made his mind conjure up something weird. That made sense. He'd never been sent a dream before.

"Crane's Wing."

At the sound of his old name, Cranewing whipped around to see a shadow standing behind the fog. He couldn't really see the cat but he would be in sight soon enough. Scratch that.

"What in the name of the sacred cats..." Crane's Wing whispered, using his old expression, as the cat came into view only it wasn't a cat.

Towering over the silvery grey tom was a tall, red fox. Its yellow eyes gleamed despite there being no light source and its large tail flicked behind it. It walked with precision on its black paws.

The fox's face was sharp and intelligent but Cranewing couldn't help but cower when its gaze swept over him. He hated himself for it. He was a warrior, he wasn't the scared little cat he used to be. Still, he'd never come face to face with a fox.

"Hello there, Crane's Wing," the fox spoke. Its voice was deep and masculine. Rich, dripping with wisdom.

"I-It's Cranewing," Cranewing stuttered. He knew it probably wasn't a good idea to correct a fox but- _W__ait. This fox is talking?! HOW?!_

The fox looked unfazed. "No. It's Crane's Wing."

It was a statement. Explicit and clear with confidence.

"Who are you?" Crane's Wing questioned, eyes never leaving the white patch on the fox's chest. If he was talking to a cat, that spot would be at eye level but Crane's Wing was too unnerved to look elsewhere.

"My name is Cloud," the fox spoke evenly. "And I am one of the three Astral Beasts."

"A-Astral Beasts?" Crane's Wing questioned. _I never heard of them in my lessons…_

"Your tribe doesn't know about us," Cloud told him. "At least the lines don't. Knowledge of our existence is only passed through your leaders, your shamas."

"Um. Okay. So why are you here?"

"Let me tell you a story," Cloud said, ignoring his question. He sat down and gestured for Crane's Wing to do the same. Crane's Wing wanted to stand but found himself unable to refuse. Meeting the reincarnations of Astral cats was such an honor and this was an Astral Beast. He didn't know what that was but it sounded sacred and he was all about sacred. "The story begins long ago."

"Like how long?" Crane's Wing interrupted. "Because, y'know, the Tribe of Sacred Lines is real big on history. Long can mean like a generation ago or like the time of the Ancients."

"Hmm. This story begins long before the Ancients. Before the first tribe even," Cloud told him. "And don't interrupt."

"Sorry," Crane's Wing apologized. Cloud rose an eyebrow. Crane's Wing opened his mouth to say sorry again but realized that was a bad idea and ducked his head.

"Even Astral Beasts memory fades," Cloud went on. "I remember the first dawn but not much before that."

Crane's Wing blinked. He had heard something about that before but couldn't remember where.

"I am the first fox," Cloud continued. "I don't remember much before the first dawn but I remember running through the black sky. There weren't any stars yet. Actually, there were but we were the stars.

"Up there I met two others. They were named Rock and Midnight. You know them, yes?"

Crane's Wing nodded. He had met Midnight on his journey to find Jay's Wing and he had met Rock with the three. Lionblaze gave him grief over his reaction to the hairless bald cat to this day.

"They were the first beings I had met. I don't remember why but we fought upon seeing each other. We fought long and hard. I don't remember how long it was. And that made the universe angry," Cloud went on. "The Earth was then created and we were sent down to the ground beside a lake."

"We stopped fighting. It was frightening, finally seeing color and having something tangible beneath our feet. The Earth had such energy and the lake beside us was so beautiful. We all froze."

"Then the sun rose. It was the first time any of us had seen light. It was blinding but the way the sunlight hit the water in the lake that first time, it was amazing. Truly the most beautiful thing these old eyes have ever seen," Cloud said wistfully. "And in the lake, the universe showed us every prophecy and omen that would come until the end of time. Including our own.

"Rock, Midnight, and myself, Cloud, at that moment learned that we were each cursed with eternal life as embodiments of the Astral Plane. It was truly a curse, seeing everyone and everything die around us without aging ourselves but in time it became a gift. It just took awhile to realize it.

"We eventually realized we only had each other. Rock, Midnight, and myself became close as could be. Our past fighting was forgotten and we became friends, family.

"I am the first fox. Midnight is the first badger. Rock is the first cat. There were, of course, other firsts but I don't know where they went or where they are now.

"More cats came. Then more badgers then finally more foxes. They lived in the world's forests alongside all the plants and animals. But since that was all they'd ever known, they didn't appreciate its beauty or each other and like us, they fought.

"We wanted them all to get along, we really did. Rock, Midnight and I, we were a family and we wanted our species to love each other as we did but they wouldn't listen to us. Instead, tensions between our species grew and they went to war."

Crane's Wing wasn't surprised. From kithood, he had been taught that badgers and foxes were cats' greatest enemies, other than twolegs and monsters. That had to originate from somewhere.

"There was no winner. Only many losses," Cloud continued, sadness in his voice. "Each specie blamed the other for the death, no one blaming themselves. The survivors swore each other eternal enemies."

"Midnight and I lost hope. We wanted to leave. Become nomads. We wanted Rock to come with us but he refused to give up hope. If he couldn't unite our species, he said he would unite just one and he would convince them to give up their hatred. Midnight and I couldn't leave him so we stayed and helped him form the first Tribe of Cats."

"The Tribe of Cats," Crane's Wing murmured. That name sounded strange compared to the ones he was used to but in a time where different animals supposedly lived so close together, it made sense.

"After many generations, we felt we had accomplished what we set out to do and Midnight and I left to try and unite our species into tribes as well," Cloud said. "We didn't succeed but that's not important to the story. Rock lead his tribe, becoming the first Stoneteller even though Jay's Wing hadn't invented that title yet.

"Eventually Rock felt his tribe could live without his leadership and he left to find us. His tribe survived for many seasons but it eventually broke."

"Why?" Crane's Wing asked. He had heard this part of the story before though not in so much detail. He knew catkind once had been one big tribe then split into three smaller ones but he never learned why.

"You're from the Tribe of the Sacred Lines, yes?" Cloud questioned. Crane's Wing nodded. "Then you understand the importance of remembering history. The Tribe of Cats didn't know everything I just told you but they knew that three undying beasts create their tribe. They fought over which beast was the greatest."

"...Why…?" That made no sense. Why would a cat believe that another specie was better than his own?

Cloud shrugged. "I don't know. I wasn't there. But it caused the Tribe of cats to split, each one worshiping one of the three Astral Beasts. They sought us out and asked us to lead them to a new home. We, of course, said yes. After failing to form a tribe in our native species, Midnight and I jumped at the chance to help and Rock couldn't bear anything more to happen to his Tribe.

"You know about the Tribe of Still Water, right Crane's Wing?"

"Yeah," Crane's Wing nodded. The Tribe of Still Water was the tribe that lived by the lake, better known as the Ancients.

"Rock settled them around the tunnels initially but they frequently migrated back and forth between the lake and the mountains. Both locations had a sacred cave where cats could commune with the stars."

"The Cave of Pointed Stones and Rock's Cave," Crane's Wing murmured. He had met Rock in Rock's Cave and Jayfeather had told him about the Cave of Pointed Stones.

Cloud nodded. "You're tribe was formed by Midnight. She is quite an intelligent creature, I'm not surprised your tribe became so centered around learning. But it wasn't always called the Tribe of the Sacred Lines. Originally it had been called the Tribe of Lush Forest."

"The Tribe of Lush Forest," Crane's Wing repeated. "That's such a pretty name. Why'd they change it?"

"Twolegs rose and began building their twoleg places in their territory," Cloud told him. "It wasn't anything like the twolegplaces now. The cats could still live there. Dogs and twolegs were enemies of course but catkind gained even more knowledge by living among them. They became the Tribe of Stone Forest."

"Alright, then how did they become the Tribe of the Sacred Lines?" Crane's Wing asked.

"When Jay's Wing lead the Tribe of Still Water to the mountains to become the Tribe of Rushing Water, some of their group left and ran into the Tribe of Stone Forest as they migrated to new territory. They merged and shared knowledge and eventually became the Tribe of Sacred Lines. They found the moor where the Sacred Stump lies and they live there to this day. They devoted themselves to worship of the Astral Plane and by extension the Sacred Beasts though that was lost in time."

Crane's Wing nodded. "Okay. Makes sense. Then what about the third tribe? Your tribe?"

Cloud's still face suddenly darkened and sadness came off him in waves. Literally. Crane's Wing could see the fog shift around him and feel his sorrow.

"My tribe was called the Tribe of Bright Days," Cloud told him quietly. "I loved those cats very much. I took them to my favorite place in all the world. It's a valley surrounded by mountains filled with caves and tunnels. In one of them, there is a stalagmite that allows mortals to commune with the stars. I called it the Stone Stalagmite. I taught my cats all I know and after many generations, I left them to find Midnight and Rock with hopes of uniting badgerkind or foxkind."

"One of the caves in the mountains had a stalactite that allowed mortals to talk with their ancestors but not with the stars," Cloud went on, his expression darkening. "The night sky is black. It's not completely covered in stars. The universe was born black but in it, there are some spots so dark that even if you put a star in it, you wouldn't be able to see its light. We call them Black Spots. The Earth's most evil creatures go there when they die instead of becoming stars.

"One of the cats in my tribe found the Piercing Stalactite and became corrupted by the Black Spots. He took the name Black Spot and returned to his tribe to teach them what he learned. He attacked our efforts to create tribes of badgers and foxes. After that, foxes and badgers became nomads are rarely grouped together out of fear of being killed by the Tribe of Blackest Night.

"Eventually, the tribe learned that Black Spot had gained the power of reincarnation. Whenever he died, his mind was transferred into the body of one of his tribemates. Believing he was invincible, he recruited rogue foxes and badgers into his tribe and became the leader of the Tribe of the Darkest Void."

"The Tribe of the Darkest Void." Crane's Wing shuddered. Even the name sounded evil. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Black Spot is power hungry. He wishes to destroy the tribes and take the Astral Beasts' power for himself," Cloud explained. "He has found the location of the Tribe of the Sacred Lines. He is on his way now."

"W-what?" Crane's Wing stuttered.

"You must warn them," Cloud told him. And with that, his red fur began to fade into the fog.

"Wait! Why me? Why not Solar Sigil? Why not the three?" Crane's Wing demanded as the fox began to fade. "I'm nobody! I was the joke of my tribe. I can't do it."

"You are stronger than you think," Cloud told him before fading completely leaving Crane's Wing alone in the foggy realm.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Boom! How's that for lore?

Remember: Stalagmites might hang from the ceiling but they don't.

The Black Spots in the sky are black holes.

I wrote out the entire plan for the story in one day. This was the only part I had beforehand. I came up with the Black Spots for The Wrong Pawsteps but I decided I liked it all better here. On my profile, there's brief explanation about the connection.

Everything I wrote basically came from one thought: Isn't it a funny coincidence that there are three cats in the procephy and three ancient tribes? Then I thought about the Rock-Midnight thing and decided it made more sense for it to be a trio.

There is a lot of information in this chapter and that's not even all of it. It's not essential to memorize it or anything, just get the gist of it.

The reason the Tribes' names change so much is because the ones I made up have stupid names and I needed justification. They started off normal but then got weird as the tribe got weird.

Unrelated, no update for The Wrong Pawsteps today. No reason, I just wasn't in the mood to write it this week so there just isn't a chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Crane's Wing woke with a start, heart racing. He looked around wildly, eye wide and panicked. It took more than a moment to realize where he was. He gave a sigh of relief as he recognized the sound his denmates' breathing and the feeling of moss beneath him.

He looked around, calmer this time, but couldn't see anything in the dark. He got to his paws as silently as possible and crept out of the den.

The camp was quiet. There were no new warriors on a vigil tonight. The only cat not asleep was Thornclaw who, as per usual, was on guard duty.

"Hey," Crane's Wing greeted as he walked up to him.

"Cranewing." Thornclaw nodded in response. Crane's Wing flinched at the name but didn't say anything. He didn't know when he'd become Crane's Wing again, he just did. It wasn't Thornclaw's fault, of course, but hearing the wrong name was strange. "What are you doing up so late again? You were up all night last night."

"You were too," Crane's Wing pointed out, dodging the question. "You're, like, always on guard duty. How are you even alive?"

Thornclaw snorted in amusement. "I just like guard duty. If I sleep through dawn patrol, I'm usually good to go. I don't need much sleep."

Crane's Wing nodded. He didn't really understand it but knowing there was an explanation at all satisfied his curiosity enough.

"Are you going for a walk?" Thornclaw asked. "Dovewing went out earlier. You may run into her."

Crane's Wing hadn't planned on heading out but the idea sounded appealing now that he heard it. He shrugged. "I guess. I'll keep an eye out for her."

With a wave of his tail goodbye, Crane's Wing wandered into the ThunderClan forest. In the back of his mind, he vaguely knew he was heading in the direction of ShadowClan territory but he was too occupied with his thoughts to really notice.

His mind went back to his dream. Was that really real? If so, he had a lot to tell his tribemates if and when he returned. But why did Cloud visit him of all cats? Why even a cat at all? Cloud was a fox for crying out loud! And where did the name Cloud even come from? It was nothing foxlike!

Crane's Wing shook his head. He had to get his priorities straight. In his apprenticeship, Brackenfur had told him that was one of his biggest problems. He was too easily distracted and focused on the most bizarre things.

Cloud had warned him that the Tribe of Sacred Lines was about to be destroyed. All the tribes actually which, by extension, meant the clans too. The Tribe of the Darkest Void… what a weird name.

For the first time in a long time, Crane's Wing felt his silly, random, panicky personality rising back up. He frowned and tried to repress it. He had worked so hard to become Cranewing, a ThunderClan warrior, and he felt like that had just been stripped away, bravery and all. Crane's Wing was not brave. He supposed he wasn't Cranewing either, he'd just been kidding himself into believing he was some cat that he was not.

He heard a squeak up ahead, snapping him out of his thoughts. Crane's Wing looked up to see a rather flushed looking Dovewing and a panicking Tigerheart.

"Crane's Wing!" Dovewing hissed, looking embarrassed. Tigerheart didn't say anything. He just stared at Crane's Wing wide eyed.

"Oh hi Dovewing! Hi Tigerheart," Crane's Wing greeted in a light tone. "How're you guys doing? Are you past that whole Dove's Wing issue? 'Cuz you guys made a way bigger deal outta that than you should've and that was forever ago."

"Cranewing?!"

"He knows?" Tigerheart asked, looking alarmed. "I thought you didn't tell anyone about us?"

"I didn't!"

"Uh, you totally did," Crane's Wing responded. "Right before we went on the journey to fix you guys. Seriously, how are you guys handling that? It's been moons and I know you guys broke if off for awhile but-"

"How much does this cat know?" Tigerheart hissed under his breath. Dovewing shrugged, eyes wide with horror as Crane's Wing kept rambling.

"I'm getting the sense I'm unwanted here," Crane's Wing said after a while.

"Ya think?" Dovewing hissed. "Go. Get. Leave."

"Dovewing, he's seen us. He could go report back to Bramblestar… Or tell Rowanstar," Tigerheart pointed out worriedly. "Maybe don't be so rude."

"Oh, I'm not going to tell anyone. I've known, like, forever. Seems kinda pointless, y'know?" Crane's Wing chattered, eyes roaming the dark brown tom. _This cat is so cool. I can't believe Dovewing doesn't talk about him more._

"He won't tell anyone," Dovewing confirmed. "He's kin."

Tigerheart's gaze flicked back and forth between the two of them skeptically. They looked nothing alike and Crane's Wing was far too old, older than Dovewing, to be a newer, more distant relative whom he'd never met. Crane's Wing could practically hear Tigerheart thinking this yet the ShadowClan tom didn't say anything. Crane's Wing decided to answer his unspoken question anyway.

"We're not actually related by blood. I'm related to Dove's Wing who kinda created and lives inside Dovewing's soul," Crane's Wing said. Tigerheart looked alarmed and glanced at Dovewing.

Dovewing looked embarrassed. Or angry. Or both. Crane's Wing couldn't tell. "Cranewing. Shut. Up. Leave."

"Geez," Crane's Wing said, backing up. "Oh, by the way, Thornclaw's on guard duty and know you're out here and probably expects me to bring you back so…"

Dovewing growled. "Fine!"

"So, um, I guess I'll see you later," Tigerheart said awkwardly to the infuriated she-cat. She forced herself to calm a bit and gave him an affectionate goodbye before trailing after Crane's Wing.

"What was that for?" she snapped once they'd wandered deeper into ThunderClan territory.

"Nothing, I swear by the sacred cats," Crane's Wing said. He honestly hadn't been looking for her. At least not consciously. When he let his mind wander, his paws tended to too. That got him into a lot of trouble on his journey to find ThunderClan and apparently was still doing so. "I was just going for a walk."

Dovewing seemed to sense something and calmed down a bit though her fur was still a bit ruffled. "What are you doing up? You were up all night last night. I'd think you'd be more tired."

"I went to my nest early," Crane's Wing admitted. He paused for a moment. "And I had a dream."

"A nightmare? I've always hated those."

"No. Well, I hate nightmares too but this wasn't a nightmare," Crane's Wing said. "It was a dream dream. Like the dreamy kind."

"...What?"

"Like a vision. Except I was asleep. I mean like the kind of vision that you get from the star cats. Not the kind you get in the desert. And I was asleep."

"What's a desert?" Dovewing asked then shook her head. "Nevermind. You had a vision?"

"Yeah. But in dream form."

"That's still a vision I think."

"Really? I'm pretty sure you have to be awake to have a vision. You see a vision with your eyes. Your eyes are closed when you're asleep. It's your brain making stuff up then the star cats go in there and-"

"Cranewing?"

"Yes?"

"Get on with it. And they're not 'star cats.' They're StarClan cats."

"There are more cats in the stars- wait. Hold on, I messed that up. Gimme a sec," Crane's Wing said, pausing for a moment comedically to think of what he was trying to say. "Not all the stars in the sky are StarClan cats. Boom. Nailed it. But anyway, I didn't talk to a star cat at all. I talked to one of the constellations."

"What? What's a constellation?"

"You don't know what a constellation is? By the star cats, you clan cats have no culture," Crane's Wing said. "The constellations are those shapes in the sky made up of stars."

"Like Silverpelt?"

"No, that's where StarClan lives," Crane's Wing sighed. "Honestly…"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Dovewing interrupted before Crane's Wing could go off again. "What did this 'constellation cat' tell you?"

"Oh it wasn't a cat. It was a fox. An Astral Beast apparently."

Dovewing looked lost. "What are you meowing about? You haven't been like this in seasons. Did you hit your head on a bee's nest or did one of the kits stuff moss into your head through your ears?"

Crane's Wing tried to roll his eyes and wave her off but he couldn't keep an amused gleam out of his sharp blue eyes or keep down a purr of laughter. _That's a funny image._

"Cranewing…"

"Right, right," Crane's Wing said, trying to bring himself back to the thing he wanted to talk to Dovewing about. He stopped in his pawsteps. "Actually, you know what? I'll just talk about it with Jayfeather tomorrow morning. Nice talking to you. Bye."

With a wave of his tail, Crane's Wing darted off into the forest. He could feel Dovewing's stunned gaze on his pelt before she exploded. "Cranewing!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Imagine you're on a date and it's going great but then your weird friend shows up and starts rambling about how you're reincarnated in front of your date. You have to get up and leave to take him home but out of nowhere he just decided to run off and leave you. That's essentially what happened to Dovewing.

Crane's Wing is funny. His old behavior kind of disappeared for the past few moons but now its back full force.

I'm going to be out of town for the first half of April so there may or may not be updates. More likely not.

Forgot to respond to the reviews for Chapter 2 on Chapter 3. Whoops.

Chapter 2 Reviews-

_Darth Jay_\- Cool, thanks. May be coming soon. Yeah, this is a sequel so there will be references to the last story.

_Wolfjem_\- I don't know much about her, hope I got her character right.

_Feathershade_\- That's funny. I was thinking about that for days after reading it.

_Ellabellu_\- Probably won't be much romance in this story but glad you approve if that happens. Thanks.

Chapter 3 Reviews

_Wolfjem_\- As of right now, I haven't written any content with him in it but Darktail is an interesting comparision. I can't remember who I based him off of but Ink from The Wrong Pawsteps is based off Black Spot and a lot of people think Ink is similar to Tigerstar so your idea isn't too farfetched.

Also just so you guys know, any reviews that deserve to be deleted (inappropriate, bizarre, irrelevant, etc) will not be responded to. You know who you are and I'm seriously questioning what's going through your mind and what you're doing with your life. Please stop or leave reviews that have something to do with the story.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Crane's Wing made good on his word and made his way to the medine den after discovering he wasn't assigned on dawn patrol that morning.

"Hey Briarlight," Crane's Wing greeted cheerfully upon entering the den.

"Hi Cranewing," Briarlight said, looking up from where she was batting a moss ball back and forth between her paws. "How are you doing?"

"Great," Crane's Wing purred.

"What brings you here, Cranewing?" Leafpool asked, walking over from the back of the den where the herbs were stored. "You got some scratches or something?"

Crane's Wing shook his head. "I actually came to talk to Jayfeather. How is he?"

"He said he's been having dreams about you-know-where but he's doing better," Briarlight told him. Crane's Wing nodded. She was referring to the fog realm where Jay's Wing had been trapped since leaving the Astral Plane and before entering Jayfeather's body.

Leafpool looked to Crane's Wing. "You know about the secrets they're keeping from me too? Any chance you'll let me in on them?"

Crane's Wing shook his head. He honestly didn't care if the clan knew about the three's reincarnation but they didn't exactly want it to be common knowledge so he respected their wishes. Though he did find it strange that Lionblaze and Jayfeather would keep it from their mother, especially since Jayfeather spent so much time with her, and tell Briarlight. _Then again, they are close._

Leafpool sighed. "Honestly, if there's anything interfering with his medicine cat duties, I should know about it."

"It's interfering with his duties?"

"No," Jayfeather answered before Leafpool could say anything. He padded forward from the back of the den. "And don't talk about me like I'm not here."

"Sorry," Briarlight said. Crane's Wing murmured an apology. Leafpool didn't say anything. When Crane's Wing had arrived all those moons ago, Leafpool and Jayfeather had some tensions that slowly increased until they were at each other's throats but after Jayfeather and Jay's Wing became one and their personalities merged a bit, there was some peace. Good things don't last forever though.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Jayfeather asked.

"Oh right. I had a dream. Like the dreamy kind. Dovewing says that's called a vision but I'm pretty sure you have to be awake or at least asleep with your eyes open to have a vision," Crane's Wing told him. "What do you think? We talked about it for a long time and she wouldn't give up."

Jayfeather blinked and stared at him.

"Oh right." _Priorities._ "I got a dream from the star cats. Except it wasn't the star cats."

"It's called StarClan, Cranewing," Leafpool sighed. "And what do you mean it wasn't StarClan? Did you get a dream from the Tribe of Endless Hunting? Or whatever ancestor's your old tribe spoke with?"

"Nah," Crane's Wing said. "You guys know Midnight, right? I spoke with one of her friends."

Jayfeather nodded slowly. "I sensed Astral energy last night. I thought maybe something was going on with Lionblaze or Dovewing but I guess it was you."

"Okay, thanks," Crane's Wing said. "I thought it might've just been a normal dream."

"You can usually tell whether or not a dream is just a dream or not. Usually dreams from StarClan are clearer and easier to remember," Leafpool explained.

Jayfeather snorted. "If StarClan is anything, it definitely isn't clear. The Astral Cats, now they're clear."

"Didn't someone explain that to us?" Crane's Wing questioned. "I don't really remember."

"Doesn't matter," Jayfeather said, waving his tail. He did it as if he were waving Crane's Wing off but the silvery grey tom saw distinct flick in Leafpool's direction, reminding him not to talk about the Astral stuff around her. "So what did Midnight's friend tell you?"

"A bunch of stuff. Like…" Crane's Wing trailed off, realizing he didn't know where to start. The three herb workers seemed to catch on.

"Think about it a bit first," Briarlight suggested.

Leafpool nodded. "You're not trained to interpret dreams. Take your time and try talking to one of us or Bramblestar later."

"Alright."

"Try taking a walk to clear your head," Jayfeather suggested.

Crane's Wing thought about it a moment. Walking last night had helped him a bit, maybe it would now. "That sounds like a good idea. Maybe I will. Thanks."

* * *

Walking in the forest proved not to be as useful as it had been the night before. Crane's Wing made it all the way to the lake and his head still felt as empty as the elder's den at sunhigh. He could practically hear his brain rattling around in his empty skull.

Crane's Wing sighed and shifted his attention from his mind to the lake. It was beautiful, especially since no trees were blocking the sunlight at the moment. He recalled what Cloud had told him about the Astral Beasts seeing every prophecy, omen, and curse that would ever come to be, including their own, on this very lake. It made him feel awed but also very, very small.

He had seen many lakes in his life. They were pretty but they were really just big puddles. This lake wasn't really unique in any way yet the day the earth was created, its waters showed three constellations put into physical form the world's destiny. Standing next to something that had that power made Crane's Wing feel very insignificant.

It made him wonder why he was chosen. Why did Solar Sigil chose him to find Jay's Wing? Why did Cloud chose him to warn the clans and tribes? When he left on his journey, he was positive he couldn't complete his mission yet he did. Now, he couldn't even fathom doing as he was told. He didn't know if he could even bring himself to leave the clan let alone return to his old tribe.

"Surprise!" a voice behind him yowled. Crane's Wing had been so deep in his thoughts that he nearly fell into the lake when he felt something land on his back. "Got you!"

"Sorrelstripe!" Crane's Wing yelped as tried to get over his shock. Two more cats bundled towards him to help pin him down. Crane's Wing didn't resist, he just let the trio climb all over him. He groaned. "You're too big to be doing that. You guys aren't kits anymore."

"We know," Hollytuft said. She was the last to get on and the first to get off. She was the most serious of Lionblaze's kits, she didn't mess around long. "We just wanted to do that one last time. We're warriors now. We can't be messing around like we used to."

Crane's Wing tried not to let his disappointment show. Of course, they weren't his kits but they felt like they were. It saddened him that they weren't the newborns that relied on him every waking moment. He was proud of them of course now that they were warriors but that didn't mean he wouldn't miss them.

"Are you alright?" Fernsong asked.

Crane's Wing nodded. "Of course. You guys aren't that heavy."

"I meant how are you feeling," Fernsong told him. "You've been off ever since the ceremony."

"Are you upset we're warriors?" Sorrelstripe asked.

"What? No. Of course not," Crane's Wing insisted even though he'd just been thinking about that. He was more happy than sad. "I'm fine."

"Don't lie," Fernsong said. Crane's Wing flinched at the passion and powerful concern in his gaze. He was always the most sensitive of the bunch. "If you do, I'll just ask Lionblaze and then we'll just run right back here."

"Don't worry, it's nothing. I've just been thinking about… about when I came here. And when I was going to leave."

"You're leaving?" Sorrelstripe questioned.

"No. Well, maybe. I don't want to," Crane's Wing said. He paused a moment, debating how much to tell them. Seeing their worried, scared eyes locked on him melted his heart and he gave in quickly. "Did I ever tell you about when your father, Dovewing, Jayfeather, and I returned from that journey a quarter-moon before you were born?"

The three cats shook their heads.

"Well, I was planning on leaving then. The mission I was assigned by my shama was complete and I should have headed home but I wanted to be there for your kitting."

"But then Cinderheart died," Hollytuft whispered, catching on.

Crane's Wing nodded. "I couldn't leave Lionblaze after that. He was grieving and I wanted to be the one to take care of you. I'm not your parent but I learned of a parent's love and I didn't want to leave. So I decided to become a warrior."

"And you hate it," Sorrelstripe mumbled. "We made you stay."

Crane's Wing felt claws at his heart, momentarily panicking for making her think that, even for a heartbeat. "No, of course not. I love being a warrior. Clanlife is so different from how things were back with my tribe. I love it here. Even if you three hadn't been there, I probably would've stayed. If Cinderheart hadn't died, I still might've taken an apprenticeship. I don't know. Leaving, even before you three came along, would've been so hard and now it would be even harder."

"Then why are you thinking of leaving?"

Crane's Wing looked at his paws. "A very long time ago, before you were born, I told Bramblestar I'd regret leaving without knowing your warrior names. Finally hearing them got me thinking about things. But that's not what… I wouldn't leave just because I know them now. I had a dream."

"The dreamy kind or just a normal one?" Fernsong asked, using Crane's Wing's speech patterns as his own.

"The dreamy kind," Crane's Wing confirmed. "A constellation… I've shown you those right?"

The three young warriors nodded.

"Rock and Midnight were constellations but there was a third. His name is Cloud, he's a fox," Crane's Wing explained. "He came to me and told me I need to return to my tribe."

To his surprise, the cats he had come to view as his kits didn't ask why. They just pressed up close to him. They hadn't done this in a long time and it was kind of difficult now that they were all nearly as big as he was but it was still comforting.

Fernsong swiped his tongue over his ear. Hollytuft lifted her muzzle to the other. "We understand if you have to go. After all, you were the one who taught us the importance of our ancestors and the cats in the sky. I guess that applies to foxes too."

Crane's Wing was warmed by her words and pressed his muzzle into each one of their pelts. "Alright… I'll go talk to Bramblestar."

* * *

**AN:** Lionblaze's kits are so cool. I'm kind of annoyed that they do basically nothing in Vision of Shadows.

Reviews-

_Wolfjem_\- Yeah well Crane's Wing kind of ran into Dovewing by accident. And Crane's Wing acts like he's got bees in his brain sometimes so I'm sure she wasn't too suprised by him being a weirdo.

_Feathershade_\- True. Crane's Wing made fun of the clans for that on... *checks chapter list* Chapter 16 in The Ancient Tribes. But, as stated above, he's got bees in his brain so he forgets stuff sometimes.

_Darth Jay-_ Getting the perfect wrong timing down is a skill that Crane's Wing has mastered well. Yeah, Thornclaw is always on guard duty in the books and I don't know why, he just is. I think its kind of funny.

_Hillary Clinton_\- I was very confused by this review but also very amused. Fanfiction is a strange place to discuss politics but I appreciate that you're not one of those people who go around saying things they shouldn't in ways they shouldn't on the internet. Crane's Wing calls StarClan star cats because he's not narrow minded like everyone else. There are more stars in the sky than just in the Silverpelt. I know a lot of people write the whole Author's Note in bold but personally I don't like reading a lot of text in bold. For me bold is more of a call to something important. The AN is important but the entire thing usually isn't.


	6. Chapter 6

"Bramblestar?" Crane's Wing stood awkwardly outside the leader's den, unsure if he should enter or not.

"Cranewing, come in," Bramblestar said. He didn't seem to be doing anything. _What do clan leaders do all day? Does he just sit in here?_

"Erm, it's Crane's Wing now," Crane's Wing said. "Again, I mean."

Bramblestar blinked slowly but showed no other sign of surprise. "I see. You're leaving?"

"Yeah," Crane's Wing responded. "It's not like I want to leave or anything. Being a warrior is great, way better than living as a loner and I love living in ThunderClan. It's just…"

"You feel drawn back to those you left behind?" Bramblestar guessed.

"No. Well, yeah but that's not it," Crane's Wing told him. "I- I had a dream."

"From StarClan? Or whatever cats your tribe answers to? You called them the sacred cats, right?"

"Jayfeather calls them the Astral Cats but yeah, sorta," Crane's Wing answered. "You met Midnight before, right?. You were one of the first clan cats to do so. Did she ever tell you about a fox named Cloud?"

Bramblestar shook his head. "I know she speaks fox-tongue. On our journey, we trespassed on a fox's territory and she convinced it to let us go. But no, she never mentioned knowing any foxes."

"Okay. Well, apparently Midnight is one of a trio alongside Rock and Cloud. They're called the Astral Beasts."

"Rock, Cloud, Midnight," Bramblestar murmured. "The Astral Beasts…"

"Yeah." Crane's Wing nodded. "Cloud told me of danger coming to my tribe. He said I have to go and warn them."

"Why didn't he just contact one of the cats in your tribe?"

"I don't know. I was too busy listening to all the stuff he was telling me to ask."

Bramblestar sighed. "I understand. As I'm sure you remember, I received a dream as a young warrior as well and had to leave my clan."

"That's the difference," Crane's Wing pointed out. "You were young. I'm old."

"You're not that old," Bramblestar purred. "You're probably half my age. You've ought to be around the same age as Lionblaze and Jayfeather and they were once my kits. You've still got many years in you, Crane's Wing."

"Thanks but that's not what I meant," Crane's Wing said. "I mean I'm old enough to have seen and done many things and it's hard leaving them. You left when you were very young. I'm sure you were incredibly attached to your clan, having being born into it and all, but you hadn't lived in it for very long. I lived in my tribe for a long time, I lived as a wandering loner for a long time, and now I've lived in a clan for a long time. I was happy doing all of that but I hoping now I'd finally settled down but now I'm starting all over again."

"It would only be starting over again if you plan on returning to the clan," Bramblestar pointed out. "If not, you would just be returning home. Do you want to come back to us when you're done?"

"I don't know. I mean, yes but… This is so hard!" Crane's Wing exclaimed, frustrated. He lashed his tail as he tried to focus. "I don't know how I'd tell my old tribemates that I'm leaving again. And while I'm sure I could find my way back here, the distance between the lake and the field where my tribe lives is really far."

"You once told me it took you season cycles to find your way here."

"It did. I didn't know where I was going so I went in a bunch of directions and I didn't travel very quickly but I think it could take a season to travel all that way. I want to come back but after being away for that long, I might feel differently. Or something could happen to my tribe. Or I could get injured and not be able to make the journey."

"That's a lot of maybes," Bramblestar said. "No one is forcing you to do anything. If you decide to come back, know that you will be welcomed and I understand why you have to leave."

"Thanks," Crane's Wing said genuinely.

"When do you plan on leaving?"

"I- I don't know. Soon?"

"Wait a quarter-moon at least," Bramblestar requested. "That way you have time to say goodbye. And the Gathering is in a few sunrises. Let me say something. Maybe another cat had a dream."

_Doubt it._ Crane's Wing didn't argue. He wouldn't have been able to decide on when to leave on his own and was thankful Bramblestar had taken the liberty to do so.

"So," Bramblestar continued, "what did this Cloud warn you of?"

Crane's Wing swallowed. "The third tribe. My tribe knows nothing about them, only that they exist. Apparently they are worshippers of something similar to you clancats' Dark Forest."

"Worshippers?" Bramblestar repeated. "No offense but your tribe and this new tribe sound nothing like the tribe I know."

"I know. We sound like cults."

Bramblestar purred in amusement. "So what is this third tribe going to do?"

"I don't know," Crane's Wing admitted. "Cloud seems to think that they want to destroy the other tribes as well as the clans and take the Astral Beasts' power."

Bramblestar nodded slowly. "Are they strong?"

Crane's Wing shrugged. "Probably. My tribe is pretty big so I can only assume that the third is too. And they supposedly have badgers and foxes with them."

"Badgers and foxes?" Bramblestar questioned, shocked. "Living with cats?"

"Cloud told me that he, Midnight, and Rock dream of the three species peacefully coexisting," Crane's Wing explained. "I guess the third tribe managed to figure something out."

Bramblestar shook his head in disbelief. "I can't imagine cats living with badgers and foxes. Not in a thousand lifetimes."

Crane's Wing shrugged. Personally, he was starting to believe in Cloud's dream but he knew it would be a difficult dream to pursue and he wasn't about to argue with Bramblestar. In his travels, Crane's Wing had met many strange pairs and groups but none included foxes, badgers, and cats. The three species seemed to hate each other.

"Are you sure you can trust him?" Bramblestar asked, referring to Cloud.

Crane's Wing nodded. "I asked Jayfeather. He said he sensed Astral power last night. And I don't think Cloud would tell me all that only to claw me once my guard was down. Seems kind of pointless."

"Foxes are clever tricksters," Bramblestar told him.

There was a moment of silence. Crane's Wing expected Bramblestar to elaborate but he didn't. "I know but I still trust him. He seemed like a good cat- er, fox- and he told me a lot of things that I don't think he would if he didn't trust me too."

Bramblestar nodded slowly. "How do you feel about all of this? You've always had very little faith in yourself and completely lacked self-confidence. I know you've been hiding it behind being a warrior but now that you've taken back your old tribe name…"

Crane's Wing flicked his tail in annoyance even though everything Bramblestar had just said was true. He knew he had no self confidence but he felt it was for good reason. He still didn't understand why he was chosen. Crane's Wing had befriended the three, he understood perfectly well why they'd been chosen but he saw none of their qualities in himself. He wasn't a good fighter, he wasn't very strong, he was nervous, he didn't handle pressure well, he had anxiety like no cat he'd ever seen, he was easily distracted, he spoke strangely, other cats didn't like him much. He wasn't special and didn't understand why other cats thought so.

Bramblestar seemed to read his thoughts and touched his tail tip to the grey tom's shoulder. "You are unique, Crane's Wing, and our ancestors see how strong you can be. You're a fine cat."

"Thanks." Crane's Wing dipped his head. Bramblestar gave him a curt nod.

"Now get some rest," the ThunderClan leader instructed. "You haven't been sleeping well and you need to be ready for your journey."

* * *

**AN:** Part of me hates that the chapters are so short but another part of me doesn't care.

I know I said I wasn't going to update but apparently I'm a lair.

Reviews-

_deliciousprankster_\- I'm glad someone has a sense of humor.

_Feathershade_ and the person pretending to be _Feathershade_\- Fake Feathershade, the real Feathershade has said they will come after you. Feathershade, thanks for reading the other reviews and catching that. I was pretty sure that Fake Feathershade wasn't you and I greatly appreciate that you called out your copy. Anyway while I do find think guest name abuse wrong, I find this highly amusing. Fake Feathershade, if you have an account leave long in and a review and identify yourself. If you do I will totally write a short crack chapter with you, the real Feathershade, and some of this story's characters illustrating all this.


	7. Chapter 7

Crane's Wing felt a nervous knot twist in his belly as he padded through the moorland. It was the full moon tonight and ThunderClan was heading to the Gathering. _My last Gathering…_ Crane's Wing subconsciously slowed down a bit, wanting this to last a little bit longer.

"Are you okay?" Lionblaze asked. The golden tom was standing at his side. Crane's Wing nodded but Lionblaze looked doubtful. "The kits told me you haven't been feeling too well."

"We're not kits!" Sorrelstripe called from ahead of them. Her brother and sister were standing at either side of her just in front of them. "We're warriors."

"You'll always be kits to us," Crane's Wing responded.

"Cinderheart would be so proud of you three," Lionblaze said. The three young warrior's eyes glowed in the moonlight as they stared over their shoulders at their father. Lionblaze didn't talk about Cinderheart much.

Hollytuft bounded to his side. "Tell us about her."

Lionblaze purred. "She was the greatest cat I'd ever known."

Crane's Wing wanted to listen to Lionblaze talk about his fallen mate but was distracted when Fernsong went to his side. "Does he know?"

Crane's Wing shook his head. "I didn't know how to tell him. He's my best friend."

Fernsong snorted. "No duh. If you were a she-cat, you two would totally be mates."

Crane's Wing's eyes widened in mock offense and playfully swatted Fernsong in the face with his silvery tail. "How dare you suggest such a thing of your honorary dad?"

Fernsong purred in amusement. "'Cuz you know it's true."

Crane's Wing laughed alongside him. "As funny as that is, don't joke about that. For real. I don't want any cats thinking anything weird about Lionblaze. I'm not really into toms but I really don't want any cat thinking he's not loyal to Cinderheart or anything like that."

"Alright," Fernsong said, sobering up from his laughter though he still had amusement in his eyes. He looked back to the path they were walking on. As per the rules the clans decided on, they were walking along the border of the lake. The island was visible in the distance. Another clan had already made it and had begun walking across the tree bridge. "Will you miss it?"

"Miss what?"

"The lake."

"Like the water part or…?"

"The clan part."

"Of course," Crane's Wing responded, surprised that Fernsong would ask such a thing. "Why wouldn't I?"

Fernsong shrugged. "I don't know… I mean, I love it here but it's all I've ever known. I don't know how you feel about it."

"I do love it here, I really do," Crane's Wing told him. "I've got friends here. And the prey runs well. And the weather is nice. And I like how the clans work. I've gotten used to it. I don't want to leave but I have to."

Fernsong nodded. "I understand. Sort of."

"That's all I ask," Crane's Wing said and lapped his ear affectionately.

* * *

By the time that ThunderClan reached the tree bridge, Crane's Wing and Lionblaze had gotten separated from the three new warriors and drifted over to Jayfeather and Dovewing. Lionblaze's kits were excited to talk with their former peers from the other clans and Lionblaze, Dovewing, or Crane's Wing usually crossed with Jayfeather. He didn't need the help of course but it made them feel a lot better even if he found it annoying.

The clan getting into a line, Bramblestar was the first to hop up followed by Squirrelflight. The senior warriors seemed to be heading the group after them followed by the apprentices and their mentors. ThunderClan had a lot of cats, a lot more than any other clan, and it took awhile for them to cross.

When they all made it over, Jayfeather immediately made a beeline for where the medicine cats sat, Lionblaze drifted over to where the WindClan cats sat in search of his father, and Dovewing began looking for Tigerheart, leaving Crane's Wing alone. He thought about trailing after Dovewing but one look from Tigerheart told him that he wasn't welcome. He didn't want to interrupt whatever was going on with Lionblaze and Crowfeather nor did he want to intrude on the medicine cats.

_Bramblestar told me to come to this Gathering so I could say my goodbyes,_ Crane's Wing thought glumly. _I don't know any cat outside of ThunderClan other than some of the cats who were apprenticed at the same time as me that Brackenfur made me talk to and I don't think they liked me much._

"Cranewing!"

Crane's Wing's head snapped up at the sound of his name. He felt his pelt flush. _That looked way too desperate._ He looked around for the source of the voice and his gaze fell upon Ivypool who was waving him over with his tail. He was a bit surprised but he picked his way over in a heartbeat.

"What's up?" he asked when he reached her side.

Ivypool jerked her head to the side, eyes sparking with amusement. "Watch these two go at it. Dovewing tells me you like this kind of thing."

Crane's Wing followed her gesture and his eyes fell upon two toms glaring at each other. One had the sturdy build of a ThunderClan cat, the other the lean frame of a WindClan cat. The latter had dark black fur and the former had a cream pelt and a stump for a tail.

"Is that Breezepelt and Berrynose?" Crane's Wing asked, recognizing his clanmate and his friends' half-brother. Crane's Wing hadn't gotten along with Berrynose upon his arrival but the two eventually made some peace. Crane's Wing didn't know Breezepelt all too well but after he and Lionblaze began an effort to make up, Crane's Wing spoke to him a number of times.

Ivypool nodded. "Yeah. The two most annoying cats in the clans."

"Really? I mean Berrynose is annoying and Breezepelt is kind of a jerk but he's not all that bad."

"You don't know him like I do," Ivypool snorted. Crane's Wing didn't ask what she meant by that. "Look at the two of them. They do this all the time."

Crane's Wing turned his attention back to the pair. They were facing each other, the cats around them giving them some room. They were talking. It seemed rather forceful but he couldn't hear what they were saying.

"Berrynose doesn't know when to stop boasting and Breezepelt doesn't know how to let things go," Ivypool explained, watching them casually. "It's pretty funny watching them try to one up each other, even if you can't hear what they're saying."

Crane's Wing purred. "You're right. It is."

Ivypool opened her mouth to say something but before she could, she was interrupted by the call for the Gathering to start. "Let the Gathering begin!"

It was Rowanstar who made the call. He settled down on his branch of the oak tree and looked to the other leaders. "Onestar? Would you like to begin?"

Onestar have a curt nod. "The prey is returning to the moors after last moon's battle with the stoats who invaded our territory and we are eating well thanks to WindClan's new warriors Fernstripe, Larkwing, and Featherpelt."

"Fernstripe! Larkwing! Fernpelt!"

Crane's Wing's voice joined the chants as he scanned the island for the three warriors. They stood there glowing with pride. His mind went back to when Bramblestar announced his own success in becoming a warriors. The island was filled with chants of his name. Some murmurs and questions had been mixed in with it but it was still a good memory.

"WindClan has nothing left to report," Onestar said and looked to Mistystar.

"Greenleaf is always a good season for RiverClan. The ice upriver has long since melted and the river is filled with fish," Mistystar informed. She looked to Rowanstar and Bramblestar. Bramblestar dipped his head to Rowanstar, prompting the ShadowClan leader to speak. Rowanstar gave Bramblestar an odd look but spoke anyway.

"ShadowClan is doing well. Twolegs have returned to the greenleaf twoleg place and some nosy kittypets wandered onto ShadowClan territory but thanks to a patrol lead by Wasptail they won't be coming back anytime soon."

Rowanstar nodded for Bramblestar to speak. Crane's Wing felt a nervous twinge in his belly.

"ThunderClan has three new warriors as well," Bramblestar announced. "Hollytuft, Sorrelstripe, and Fernsong."

"Hollytuft! Sorrelstripe! Fernsong!"

Crane's Wing momentarily forgot his nervousness and let his voice rise above the others to recognize the three cats that he'd come to know as his kits in all but blood.

Once the chanting died down, Bramblestar opened his mouth to speak again. "Three new warriors to replace one that is gone."

Murmurs of confusion sounded from the ThunderClan cats.

"What's the talking about?" Ivypool whispered. "No ThunderClan cat died."

"Just wait and listen to what he has to say."

"Crane's Wing has decided to return to his tribe and give up his warrior name to reclaim the name he came to us with."

Crane's Wing ducked his head and flattened his ears as yowls and hisses of outrage erupted from the island.

"Traitor!"

"Once an outsider, always an outsider."

"What? Why?"

"Did he say tribe?"

"What kind of name is Crane's Wing?"

"I can't believe I ever accepted him into the clan!"

"Good riddance! He was never going to be a clan cat."

Ivypool looked at Crane's Wing with wide eyes. "What? You're leaving?"

Crane's Wing nodded sadly and was about to explain himself when Bramblestar spoke again.

"That is not all. Due to his reasons for leaving, Lionblaze, Dovewing, and Jayfeather shall accompany him on his journey," the ThunderClan leader announced.

"Wait what?" Crane's Wing said loudly.

"Yeah, what?" Jayfeather repeated. "I never agreed to anything. Crane's tribe lives a over season's journey away. I can't leave my duties that long. And, y'know, I'm blind."

"My kits just became warriors. As much as I'd like to see off the cat who helped raise them, I want to be here for the start of their new life as warriors," Lionblaze added.

"I don't really have a reason other than that Crane's Wing is the only one who knows the way so I don't really see the point in the three of us going with him," Dovewing said.

Brambleclaw rose his tail for silence. "I'm sure Crane's Wing has explained himself to the three of you. There is-"

"This fluff brain doesn't explain anything."

"He talked to me about a dream but I told him to walk it off."

"I've never heard anything about this."

Bramblestar coughed. "As I was saying, Crane's Wing has received a dream from the ancestors of his tribe that may concern the clans so I'm sending Jayfeather, Dovewing, and Lionblaze with him. If any of you have had any dreams lately, please speak up and we can delay their journey to accommodate."

Rowanstar and Onestar's gazes swept the assembled cats while Mistystar looked to the medicine cats. "Have any of you heard anything?"

Littlecloud, Leafpool, Kestrelflight, and Willowshine shook their heads.

"If it was anything concerning, I'm sure StarClan would have contacted us," Willowshine said.

Jayfeather snorted. "StarClan doesn't know everything. Crane's Wing has different ancestors than us. They know things StarClan doesn't."

There were a few gasps and a ripple of murmurs through the clans at the sound of a medicine cat disregarding their ancestors but no voices broke out from the rest.

"Has any warrior or apprentice had any dreams from our ancestors StarClan or otherwise?" Onestar asked. A series of 'no's came from the crowd and a number of shaking heads.

"There doesn't seem to be any issues," Rowanstar said. "Bramblestar, are you sure your warrior isn't just lying to have an excuse to leave the clan without dishonor? After all, he claims to have received a dream from cats that our medicine cats know nothing of."

"Crane's Wing wouldn't-"

"How dare you disrespect my ancestors!" Crane's Wing hissed. He felt dozens of eyes fall upon him. He ducked his head, embarrassed. "Sorry Rowanstar. I speak before thinking sometimes. That was rude."

Rowanstar blinked and flicked his ear in acknowledgement.

"Anyway," Bramblestar went on, "if no cat has anything useful to contribute, the four of them will leave in a few sunrises. If cats from other clans who have experience with tribes wish to join them, they are welcome to ask Crane's Wing if they can but it may be a bit unnecessary."

No cat spoke up.

"Well, that's the most lively Gathering we've had in some time," Mistystar stated. She waved her tail in the air then jumped down from the oak. "RiverClan! We're leaving."

"WindClan after them," Onestar called but he turned to his fellow leaders rather than jumping down. Rowanstar seemed to be talking with Bramblestar in an urgent tone but Crane's Wing couldn't hear what he was saying.

Crane's Wing found himself being swarmed with cats as the Gathering was dismissed.

"You're from a tribe?"

"How dare you speak to Rowanstar like that."

"You don't believe in StarClan? What kind of cats is Bramblestar letting into ThunderClan?"

"Can I come? I've never met a tribecat but I've always wanted to explore beyond the clans."

"How could you just abandon your clan?"

Crane's Wing curled up defensively as he was pelted by furry bodies. "Ivypool! Lionblaze! Help!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lionblaze's golden pelt standing off to the side. "You brought this upon yourself."

"Screw you for not telling me you were leaving," Ivypool said but her voice held no resentment. If anything, she and Lionblaze were getting a kick out of watching Crane's Wing drown in angry cats.

"Let him be." A voice cut through the cluster. Crane's Wing uncoiled himself to see Brackenfur pushing cats away from him. His former mentor's eyes met his and he beckoned him with his tail. Crane's Wing scrambled to his feet and chased after him curious as to what Brackenfur wanted to tell him.

* * *

**AN: **Okay, so it's been awhile. I'm back. As I said, I was visiting some universities. I realized I really need to get my life together. Nothing new.

I did have a nice AN written but since it's been awhile, things have changed regarding the "Great Feathershade Wars" as Darth Jay called it. The fake Feathershade confessed and it turns out it was all in good fun but the problem may have gotten worse due to Feathershade's announcement and other people are impersonating them. I haven't been on fanfic for like a week and a half and I've got real life to deal with so I lost track of everything going on. Some people mentioned and I looked into things but I don't think this issue had to do anything with the stuff going on with their story/ stories. Crimson isn't responding to PMs and I really don't have any interest in reading all their ANs and reviews to figure out what's going on nor do I really care. Therefore, since this isn't a minor lighthearted thing anymore, I'm not going to write a fun lighthearted chapter making fun of it.

Anyway, about the chapter now.

I wrote this before I got any reviews about Lionwing. I would totally ship those two but I didn't know how the readers would take it and I don't really want to write romance.

My story The Wrong Pawsteps is coming to a close. Personally, I think it's way better than this story because I use an entirely different writing style. I encourage you to check it out. For those of you who have read it, do you like the more serious, professional writing style or just this stream of consciousness writing? I can write TAT chapters when I don't feel like writing or when I'm busy but TWPS is a type of writing I can be proud of. Which do you prefer? If you like the TWPS style better, I may put more of an effort to make TAT better but I doubt I'd bring it up to that kind of quality.

I kind of deleted my review responses so here are some new ones.

Reviews (Chapter 6)

_Hilary Clinton_\- Yes, I know you're not the real one. I doubt any senior citizen reads Warriors or fanfic. I do find your reviews amusing though and I rather enjoy them. Normally I steer clear of politics on the internet but you're doing a good job of avoiding anything trigger worthy and everything is in good fun. The liar thing was a joke, don't worry. Also, it legit took me ten solid days to get the email/ liar joke (really, I wrote the response on the seventh and deleted it on the tenth and reread the review and finally got it). I'm a fairly educated person so I feel like an idiot for not getting it. That was funny, good job with that one. Yes, Midnight is smart. I think she's smarter than you though. She speaks a lot of languages, I'm sure she's learned some stuff from us twolegs over the years.

_Darth Jay_\- I thought that was funny when I read it but ten days later I'm kind of over the whole thing. Good name though. As you can see, I'm using it.

_lolololololololololno_\- If you're going to keep changing your user, make it something easy to spell. I can't copy and paste usernames. I'm just kidding, I don't care what you do with your account but it may make it hard to keep track of you if you keep doing it. Thanks for stopping those irrelevant reviews btw. Anyway, no the Tribe of Darkest Void is not a satanic cat tribe. I'm not a religious person and I don't like incorporating religious elements into my stories (I usually avoid even expressions regarding it). The tribe stuff is purely based off logic. For the clans, there is StarClan and the Dark Forest. Most cats honor StarClan but some "worship" the Dark Forest. Logically, the Tribe of Rushing Water has an ancestral tribe opposing the Tribe of Endless Hunting since they are the ascendants of the clans therefore the other two tribes would also have a "heaven" and "hell" (again, no religious intentions). The world isn't perfect so surely someone would make a mistake at some point and the Tribe of Darkest Void is that mistake I suppose. They live with foxes and badgers just because they've learned to look past species divisions. I find it highly amusing to picture you and Hilary Clinton in a dumpster with a bunch of weird animals and Hilary Clinton trying to keep everything all neat. No, I do not worship slenderman. I find the game interesting but not the actual superstition. I don't remember how I responded to your last review but if your serious about the taking candy from strangers, don't do that.

_Feathershade_ (real)- Yes, Crane's Wing has terrible self esteem. About the troll thing, as stated above, the faker on this story has come clean and seems to have good intentions but asked me to let you know that your announcement may cause you some problems from other trollers. Which it seems to have. If you need to talk about anything or need help, feel free to PM me. I can't really do much more than you but I feel like you said somewhere that you're pretty young and (with age does not come any superiority, I'm sure you can handle this yourself if you want to) I personally wouldn't want to deal with this sort of thing when I was younger. I will slap anyone though the internet if they have wronged any of my readers without god reason.

_That potato on the side of the street_ (real fake Feathershade)- I've decided I will call you That potato on the side of the street because Feathershade made a joke about that and I feel like you deserve your own name for now. You don't have to take it. If you want to be called something else, let me know. Anyway, thank you so much for coming clean about everything. I know your reviews were light spirited and some of the others really weren't and I appreciate that you're kind enough to be upfront instead of just continuing the joke or making it worse.


	8. Chapter 8

Crane's Wing tried his best to match Brackenfur's stride as the two made their way back to camp. The golden brown tabby tom looked at his paws while the silvery grey twitched his tail nervously. Neither spoke. Crane's Wing felt himself growing nervous. _What does he want to talk about?_

Crane's Wing opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. He wished a conversation would start but didn't want to be the one to initiate it. Thankfully he didn't have to wait long.

"Crane's Wing."

"Yeah?"

"You're leaving."

"Yeah. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You need to follow your paws."

Crane's Wing frowned. "But they're always moving. I wish they could just stay in one place."

Brackenfur laughed softly. "I can't tell if you mean literally or figuratively."

"Both I guess," Crane's Wing answered, no humor in his tone. He just heard sorrow in his voice. "I really wish I could stay."

"Your ancestors are calling you home," Brackenfur told him. "They must have reason."

Crane's Wing sighed. "My tribe isn't home. I wish ThunderClan was but it's not. I don't know where I'm meant to be."

"And that's okay," Brackenfur told him. "It's something many cats wonder."

"Not clancats," Crane's Wing responded. "They are home with their clans."

"That's true," Brackenfur said. "But it doesn't make ThunderClan any less your home."

Crane's Wing looked into his former mentor's eyes. "Thanks Brackenfur. You've been a real good friend to me."

"I try," Brackenfur purred. He went silent for a moment. "Saying goodbye is really hard."

"I know," Crane's Wing sighed. "I hope it won't be forever though."

"Me too."

* * *

The next morning Crane's Wing slunk out of his nest bright and early to avoid his denmates. Some of them had been rather rude the night before. Specifically Berrynose, Molewhisker, Dewnose, Cherryfall, and Rosepetal. He didn't know what their deal was.

Crane's Wing glanced at the fresh-kill pile and considered heading out for a hunt to fill it but decided he wasn't feeling too compassionate towards his clanmates. Well, former clanmates. He technically wasn't a part of the clan anymore. He didn't have to hunt for anyone and he was fine with that. He had been worried he hadn't made the right choice but right now he was too upset to think about that.

Still, there were some former clanmates he would miss. Crane's Wing began padding over to the medicine den. He poked his head in. "Briarlight?"

"Cranewing!" Briarlight greeted cheerfully. Crane's Wing smiled. He could always count on Briarlight to be kind. "Or is it Crane's Wing again?"

"Crane's Wing."

"Are you really leaving?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," Crane's Wing said. He paused. "I mean it. I really do. You're a good friend, Briarlight. I've never met a cat like you."

"Aw," she purred. "You sound like you're going away forever." She stiffened. "How long are you going to be gone?"

"I don't know," Crane's Wing admitted. He tried to brighten. "That just means Jayfeather might be gone for awhile so he'll be counting on you to keep the clan together."

Briarlight purred in amusement. "He's doing everything in his power to make sure that I don't have to work too hard. He's out gathering herbs right now."

Crane's Wing frowned. "When he gets back, tell him he should be resting. We're leaving tomorrow and we have a long way to go."

"You'd be surprised by his endurance," Briarlight told him.

"So I've heard. Still, this is farther than he's ever traveled," Crane's Wing said.

"He'll be fine," Briarlight said. "I'm more worried about you."

"Me? Why?"

"You've been here in ThunderClan for over a season cycle. You've trained as a warrior and practically adopted Lionblaze's kits as your own. I'm sure you miss your tribe and all but it must be hard going to see them again after all this time."

"I… I haven't really thought about it too much."

"Sure you have," Briarlight said offhandedly. She dragged herself forward and touched her nose to his shoulder. "I'm sure everything will be just fine."

A thought struck Crane's Wing. "Hey, will you be alright with Jayfeather gone? The first time he disappeared I remember you had kind of a hard time. This time'll be even harder."

"Don't worry," Briarlight assured. "He ran me through my exercises this morning and lately he's been having some other cats help me out. I remember what all of them are, everyone else will be able to help me with anything I can't do myself."

Crane's Wing relaxed slightly. "That's good."

"You seem stressed," Briarlight commented. "You should try to calm down before your journey. Anxiety is hard on the stomach and it's bad traveling on an upset stomach and high nerves."

"Brackenfur always says I'm way too anxious," Crane's Wing sighed. He took a few steps back. "Well, I guess I'll see you again tomorrow."

"Right. Bye Crane's Wing!"

"Bye Briarlight."

* * *

Birds chirped in the dawn light but no dawn patrols left to hunt them. Instead, much of the clan was gathered around the camp entrance. Two grey toms, a grey she-cat, and a golden tom stood out from them.

Crane's Wing stayed silent as he watched the three say their goodbyes to their clanmates. He tried not to feel jealous that no one came to speak with him. _You already said your goodbyes and besides… they're not your clan._

"Ready?" he called. The three looked up and mumbled a last few words to whomever they were speaking with before darting to catch up with him. With a final tail flick goodbye, the four set off into the forest.

"So where exactly are we going?" Dovewing asked, ears perked.

"Right now we're headed in the direction of the Moonpool. It's past the mountains," Crane's Wing told her.

Dovewing's ears twitched as she used her powers. She frowned. "I can't locate it."

"It's really far. And I mean really far. It took me seasons and seasons to find ThunderClan though I didn't go in a straight line. We should probably stop in the twolegplace."

Jayfeather made a face. "Twolegplace? Why?"

"Monsters," Crane's Wing answered.

"Monsters?"

"We can ride them," Crane's Wing explained. "There are these monsters called trucks that have long, flat backs that are good for riding. We can cross great distances in not much time and it saves a lot of energy."

"I am not getting on a monster's back," Jayfeather said.

Crane's Wing waved him off. "It's not that bad. Graystripe told me that he and Millie did it when they were looking for the clan."

"How we do we know we're going in the right direction?" Lionblaze asked.

Crane's Wing shrugged. "I used to just let them take me wherever they wanted. If we start going the wrong way, we can just jump off."

The three still didn't look thrilled.

"Stop being such bores," Crane's Wing said, his tone light and teasing. He shouldered Dovewing playfully. "Come on, where's your sense of adventure? Let's go find us a monster."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry I haven't been uploading much lately. I haven't really had the motivation to work on this story. I've been stuck on Chapter 13 for almost a month. I've got AP Exams coming up so chances are I'll disappear again until they're done. I've been working on some other stuff and I should probably get started on the extensions for The Wrong Pawsteps.


	9. Chapter 9

"What is this place?" Dovewing murmured, eyes wide and surprised. Lionblaze had a similar expression while Jayfeather's blind stare remained as it always did.

"This," Crane's Wing said with mock drama in his voice, "is what kittypets call a parking lot. This is where twolegs put their monsters sometimes when they sleep."

"So they won't attack us?" Lionblaze asked, creeping forward. All around them, sleeping monsters laid in tight little rows.

"Unless a twoleg wakes them up," Crane's Wing nodded. "None of them are awake right now so we should pick which one we want to ride."

"How do we do that?" Jayfeather asked, sounding tired.

"We don't," Crane's Wing answered. "You do."

"What?"

"Use your powers, silly," Dovewing told him. "You're the master of dreams, right? They're all asleep."

Jayfeather looked skeptical but padded up to the nearest monster, feeling it with his whiskers, and placed his paw on the monster's massive black one. He closed his eyes a moment before reopening them. "I can't see it's dreams."

"What?" Crane's Wing questioned. "You have Astral Power. That shouldn't only apply to cats…"

Jayfeather tapped the monster's paw before reaching up to feel its body. He sniffed. "It's not warm, it doesn't breath. And it's all hard and smooth. Maybe monsters aren't alive?"

"That's ridiculous," Lionblaze scoffed. "Of course they're alive. How could they hunt if they aren't alive?"

"Maybe they don't hunt," Jayfeather pointed out. "If they aren't alive, they don't need to hunt. Have you ever actually seen a monster stop to eat a cat it's killed?"  
Crane's Wing paused a moment. No, he hadn't. He reached up to touch the monster's flank, feeling the strange material its pelt was made of. _Maybe it's really not alive._

"Crane's Wing said your powers work on different kinds of animals, right?" Dovewing asked. "Try a twoleg."

"I don't really want to…"

"Just do it."

Jayfeather sighed. "Fine. But I'm not touching it."

* * *

Jayfeather ended up sitting in the corner of the parking lot until sunhigh. Apparently reading twolegs minds, searching for their destination, and identifying which monster was theirs was pretty difficult. Crane's Wing didn't understand it nor did he try. To him, Jayfeather's power was the power of Jay's Wing who was one with the Astral Plane and blessed by Cloud. He didn't need to understand it.

Eventually, Jayfeather found a monster that would take them around to the other side of the mountain. Jayfeather began speaking strangely when he left the twoleg mind, saying words like vacation and gas station. Crane's Wing tried not to be too worried and hopped up onto the selected monster's back.

The twoleg returned shortly and the monster roared to life, driving down the thunderpath and away from the twolegplace.

Crane's Wing sat up tall, enjoying the feeling of wind in his fur. He watched the horizon and suddenly felt very free. He was traveling again. He had a mission but he was still traveling, not bound by daily responsibility. He could just live in the moment and do as he pleased.

"What's this all about?" Dovewing spoke up after a while.

"Hmm?"

"Why are you returning to your tribe?" Dovewing asked. "Bramblestar said something about you having a dream."

"Oh right." Crane's Wing suddenly realized he'd forgotten to tell them. "Let's see… How do I put this? So y'know how you three get your powers from your past selves?"

Jayfeather nodded. "I'm Jay's Wing, Lionblaze is Lion's Roar, and Dovewing is Dove's Wing. Our souls merged when they came down from the Astral Plane and we were given the power of the stars."

"Right. So apparently before there was an Astral Plane and cats and foxes and badgers and anything really, there were only a few stars in the sky. They were the Astral Beasts," Crane's Wing explained. "The first three fought so the universe cursed them and created a planet for them to live on. There were three of them. Rock, a cat; Midnight, a badger; and Cloud, a fox. Long story short, they wanted to unite their species but that didn't really work out and they ended up just making a bunch of tribes of cats."

"Long story short?" Jayfeather repeated. "You have a habit of leaving out important details…"

Crane's Wing waved him off. "Don't worry about it. So basically, Jayfeather has Cloud's powers, Lionblaze has Midnight's powers, and Dovewing has Rock's powers. Well, not all of them but you have their affinities. Or something."

"Ew. I get my powers from Rock?" Dovewing questioned.

Crane's Wing nodded. "Yeah, that one doesn't make a lot of sense. Anyway, each of them lead a tribe of cats and then left them. Cloud lead this tribe that now wants to destroy all the other tribes and the clans."

"Wait, what?"

"So there's Cloud, right? He's got this tribe and-"

"We heard you," Jayfeather interrupted. "Why didn't you tell us that earlier? That's kind of important."

Crane's Wing shrugged. "I forgot."

"How do you forget something like that?"

"Let him be, Jay. You know how he is," Lionblaze said. "Important thing is that we're essentially taking on another Dark Forest."

"Only they're living and know about our source of power," Dovewing pointed out. She looked to Jayfeather. "My Dove's Wing memories are a bit hazy. Do you know anything?"

"I remember Cloud a bit now," Jayfeather told her. "That was such a long time ago… Lemme think…"

"One of them is called Black Spot. He's got a bit of Astral Power," Crane's Wing said. "He's a reincarnation like you guys."

"Okay, I take back what I said," Lionblaze said. "You really need to remember to tell us these things. That's kind of important."

"Not more important than telling us someone's trying to destroy the clans," Jayfeather grunted. He lied down, resting his head on his paws. "So how come we're going to your tribe? Why not stay in our clans and prepare for another attack?"

Crane's Wing shrugged. "I guess the Tribe of the Sacred Lines' territory is closer so they're attacking there first. I don't know."

Lionblaze flicked him in the face with his tail playfully. "You really need to pay better attention when cats are talking to you."

"I know, I know," Crane's Wing grumbled. He settled down beside Jayfeather and closed his eyes. "We have a long way to go. Sit tight."

* * *

**Author's Note: **I know I haven't been regularly updating. It's May and you know what that means. AP Exams. I'm busy and some of you probably are too. Unfortunately school is more important than fanfic. BTW, there's a section on my profile now with update schedules. The schedules for each story was already listed but now there's an overall one.

Reviews from Chapter 8-

_Wolfwhisker Party Cat_\- Hope you enjoyed.


	10. Chapter 10

"I hate twolegplaces," Jayfeather complained as the four trudged on one of the strips of grey stone bordering the black thunderpath. Jayfeather had called it concrete. "And I hate reading twoleg minds. They're so weird. And they see world so differently. Did you know the world is over seventy percent water?"

"It can't be," Dovewing said. "We've been traveling for moons on monster back and all we've seen is land. Are you saying that there's even more water than that? How big even is the world?"

"The Earth has a radius of almost four thousand miles," Jayfeather said. "The moon's radius is just over one thousand miles and the sun's radius is well over four hundred thousand miles."

"We really need to stop having Jayfeather read twoleg minds," Lionblaze sighed. "It's melting his brain."

"No it's not! Twolegs are surprisingly smart. They know so much stuff!"

"Don't worry Lionblaze," Crane's Wing told his friend. "I think I recognize this twolegplace."

"So we're almost there?" Dovewing asked hopefully. Crane's Wing nodded. Dovewing perked her ears up and closed her eyes as she listened to the surrounding area. She broke into a purr. "I can hear them!"

"That's great!" Lionblaze purred. "I can't wait to stop walking."

"We still have to make it there," Jayfeather grunted. "Crane's Wing, which way?"

"Umm…" Crane's Wing stopped in his pawsteps and looked around. His mind suddenly went blank. _It's been so long…_ A nervousness fluttered in his belly. "Uhh… This way?"

Dovewing sighed. "We just need to cut over into the forest. We can just cross over on the fences."

"Oh. Right. Good idea. Let's go."

* * *

Barking suddenly sounded followed by a slam, a startled yowl, and a crash.

Crane's Wing turned and looked over his shoulder. "Are you alright Jayfeather?"

Jayfeather was lying on the ground beside the fence the four had been walking on. "Yeah…"

Lionblaze glared down at the other side of the fence and hissed at the dogs who had begun to bark their heads off. "Hey! That's my brother!"

The dogs just kept barking. Lionblaze hissed and jumped off the fence, landing on one of the dogs' face. His belly slammed into its muzzle and he raked his claws over the dog's eyes.

"Lionblaze…" Dovewing groaned.

"They deserve it!" Lionblaze yowled and jumped off the dog. That one had been largest. One of them was a small thing, smaller than a cat. Lionblaze pounced on it and furiously began swiping at its face. The dog howled in pain and took off, yapping.

Crane's Wing ignored him, trusting his best friend's powers to take care of him. He jumped off the fence to the other side to check on Jayfeather. "Do you need help getting back up?"

"How far up is it?" Jayfeather asked.

"About two fox lengths."

Jayfeather bunched up his leg muscles and took a flying leap upward only to crash into the wood of the fence and fall back down. On the other side, Lionblaze yowled victoriously as he chased the other two dogs off. Dovewing sighed. "We're about to meet a tribe of cats that literally worships us, guys. Try to get yourselves together."

"It's not my fault those dogs jounced the fence," Lionblaze said defensively.

"And it's not my fault I can't see anything!" Jayfeather snapped.

Dovewing rolled her eyes and sighed. "I can't believe I got stuck with you three."

"What did I do?" Crane's Wing squeaked.

"Have you seen yourself?"

"Eh, good point. But my tribe's used to it," Crane's Wing shrugged. "I think I recognize those dogs. They've chased me around more than a few times. We don't have much farther to go."

Jayfeather leaped up into the air again, landing on the fence this time. "Then let's get going."

* * *

Crane's Wing tried to ignore the prickly feeling in his pads as he padded through the forest. He slowed slightly but forced himself to keep putting one paw in front of the other a bit faster when he felt his tail brush against one of the three cats trailing him.

Crane's Wing looked down and tried to ignore the thoughts and feelings running through his mind. It had been so long since he'd seen his tribe that he'd forgotten when he left on his journey to find the three so long ago. _How long has it been? I lived with ThunderClan for a season cycle after the three's powers returned… I spent half a cycle with them before that… and a few moons since Ieft… How long did I travel after leaving my tribe? Two season cycles? Three? It's been at least four since I last saw my kin._

How would they react to seeing him again? Did they still think he was alive? How was everyone doing? He'd spent probably half of his entire lifespan in search of the three and living in ThunderClan. Many if not all his elders were probably dead and joined the Tribe of the Sky, the realm his tribe's dead cats went to. And most of his seniors were probably gone too or retired.

Would his friends and kin remember him? How much had they changed? Did his siblings have mates and kits yet? They were certainly old enough. Long since old enough.

Had the Tribe of Darkest Void arrived already? The ThunderClan cats hadn't exactly rushed here. What if his friends, kin, and tribemates were already dead?

A tail tip on his shoulder snapped his mind away from his thoughts. He glanced over and his sharp blue eyes were met my Jayfeather's murky ones. He was confused for a moment before remembering Jayfeather's powers. Jayfeather swept his tail away and silently gave him a look reassuring him that everything would be alright. Crane's Wing let out a sigh and smiled despite knowing Jayfeather couldn't see it but hoped his look alike could sense his gratitude.

"Someone's coming," Dovewing warned.

"How far ahead?" Lionblaze asked, not breaking in his steps.

"Not far," Dovewing told him.

"Friend or foe?"

"I don't know but get ready…"

Crane's Wing swallowed and felt his nervousness rise. Would he meet his own tribe or the tribe he'd been sent to combat? _Please let them be friends… Please let them be friends…_

"Intruders!" a voice yowled. A russet tom broke from the treeline. Crane's Wing felt his heart sink. He didn't recognize him. The tom rose his tail into the air. "Tribe! To me!"

A pale she-cat, a yellow she-cat, and a grey tom appeared beside him, claws outstretched and lips peeled back into snarls. Lionblaze hissed and shouldered his way in front of Jayfeather. Dovewing stepped forward, matching his movements. Crane's Wing unsheathed his claws and flanked Jayfeather. The blind tom perked his ears, blind eyes sweeping the field as he dug his claws into the forest floor.

"This is the land of the Tribe of Sacred Lines," the grey tom announced. Crane's Wing blinked. _What?_ He felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Leave now."

Crane's Wing gaped at them, not knowing how to respond. Dovewing glanced back at him. "Crane? What do we do?"

_She expects me to know?_ Crane's Wing swallowed. "I don't know."

"You heard Kingfisher," the russet tom said. "Get out of here. This our land."

"Kingfisher? Kingfisher's Wing?" Crane's Wing questioned, disbelief in his voice. "Oh by the sacred cats, Kingfisher's Wing! It's you!"

* * *

**AN:** Anyone remember Kingfisher's Wing? Three cats from the Tribe of Sacred Lines were mentioned in The Ancient Spirits. If you can guess/ remember their names or feel inclined to cheat and go try and find the chapter that they're mentioned, you will get an intangible award. Likely an internet cookie next to your name underneath the author's note in the next chapter unless I think of something better.

I've had zero motivation to write this story. I had like 11 chapters prepared when I started uploading this story and I've only written 2 since then. Since starting writing this story, I've written 22 chapters for an unreleased Naruto story, 31 chapters for an unreleased Young Justice/ Naruto crossover, 8 chapters of the Young Justice/ Naruto crossover rewrite, probably half of The Wrong Pawsteps, and I started a drabbed series about Endgame. And probably some stuff I'm forgetting about. I need motivation and unfortunately I don't really like reading Warriors fanfic so I can't get motivation from that and reviews have been slow lately.

Also AP Tests. Anyone who took AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam should totally go check out the memes on twitter. There is no AP Spanish Exam subreddit but twitter's actually pretty good. Lots of stabs at Marta and Emilio, confusion about Ruben, and screaming about vivienda and pedagogico. Also, who clung onto Angelina Jolie for dear life during the conversation? Apparently everyone did except me. I clung to Bob Marley but I forgot his name and just kept saying I couldn't remember it. Let me know if you understood anything I just said and you will get an intangible award.

Speaking of Endglame, for those of you who like Marvel and have seen Endgame and/or do not care about spoilers, I encourage you to check out my story "Reunions." **SPOILER ALERT** It's essentially a bunch of very short oneshots about the characters who were lost in the Decimation reuniting with those who weren't. So far I've uploaded two chapters. One is Peter Parker and Ned's reunion and the other is Hawkeye and his wife's phone call that was briefly shown in the movie. The next one is a meeting between Hawkeye and Gamora after Hawkeye obtains the Soul Stone and Widow's soul has to replace Gamora's.

Reivews from Chapter 9-

_Demetri_\- I've never watched Cobra Kai but it keeps showing up in my recommended. I have no idea who Demetri is but I found your review amusing and I might watch the show to understand it. AP Exams only lasts 2 weeks so I won't be far from fanfic for long. I'd tell you my age but then I'd have to kill you. I don't know the rules to chest but I know how to play shogi (because Naruto) which is basically the same thing though I doubt I could beat you. I get the waterbed joke, I've heard that in real life. Crane's Wing really lucked out in the friends department. I won't hit you and you didn't list some important parts under the do not hit list. I'd love to see your do not hit doctor's list. I also have one but it doesn't apply to as many body parts as yours. Also, thanks for the long review. Most of it didn't have anything to do with the story but I think your the first reviewer I've had whose review was so long that it didn't fit in the email notification.


	11. Chapter 11

"Kingfisher? Kingfisher's Wing? Oh by the sacred cats, Kingfisher's Wing! It's you!"

The grey tom in the opposing group blinked in confusion. "How do you know my name?"

"Kingfisher, it's me Crane," Crane's Wing said. "Your brother. Crane's Wing."

"Crane's Wing?" Kingfisher's Wing questioned, disbelief in his voice. His eyes flickered over him. He took a step away from the four cat formation and broke into a purr. "Crane! It is you!"

"Eh? Crane's Wing?" the pale she-cat questioned. "I 'eard he was dead. Up in the Tribe of the Sky. Got 'it by a monster or something."

Kingfisher's Wing ran forward and pressed his muzzle against Crane's Wing's shoulder. Crane's Wing could feel his brother's purr vibrate against his own. He rubbed his head against his and swiped his tongue over the side of his head. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Me too," Kingfisher's Wing choked. "I thought you were dead. It's been four season cycles."

"That long?" Crane's Wing questioned. He took a step back to look at his brother. He had grown since he last saw him. He was sure he had too but seeing his littermate was something different. His brother looked as aged but not as much as Crane's Wing felt he had. _Traveling so long really took its toll on me…_

Beside him, Jayfeather cleared his throat. "Crane?"

"Oh right." Crane's Wing shook out his pelt. "Guys, this is my brother, Kingfisher's Wing. Fisher, this is Jayfeather, Dovewing, and Lionblaze."

"Jay… Dove… Lion…" Kingfisher's Wing murmured, eyes wide as he stared at the ThunderClan cats. He turned to face his brother. "Did you really…?"

Crane's Wing nodded. "Take me to Solar Sigil."

"Who?" the yellow she-cat questioned.

"There ain't no one in the tribe wit dat name," the pale she-cat said.

"He's the old shama," the russet tom told them.

"Old shama?" Crane's Wing questioned.

Kingfisher's Wing nodded. "That's right. You weren't here when Solar Sigil died. His son Lunar Sigil is our shama now."

Crane's Wing sat down, eyes wide and focused on nothing in particular but he felt the need to stare at something. He looked down at his paws and made a choking sound of grief. _Solar Sigil…_

Jayfeather, sensing his emotions, butted his head against his shoulder softly. "Get up, Crane's Wing. Death is a part of life. You'll see him again one day."

"Yeah. You're right," Crane's Wing murmured and cleared his throat. He glanced at the other cats with his brother. "Who are these three?"

"This is Red Wing from the Grey Wing line, Dust from the Shattered Ice line, and Leopard's Paw from the Lion's Roar line," Kingfisher's Wing told him, pointing at each of them with his tail. "Guys, this is my brother, Crane's Wing."

"You 'ave a broth'r?" Dust questioned. "Never 'eard anything 'bout a broth'r."

Crane's Wing blinked. His tribe was a tribe of history keepers and they hadn't even told the young cats about him? "I know the name every cat of our tribe five generations back. I know the color of their pelt, their mentors, and their lines. Does the tribe not teach our tribe's history anymore?"

"We do," Kingfisher's Wing told him. "Solar Sigil… He had some issues before his death. Lunar Sigil wants to forget what he did. That includes sending you away. He thinks that was a bad decision."

Crane's Wing nodded, trying not to feel hurt. "Well, I'm sure he'll change his mind."

"Right," Kingfisher's Wing said. He swept his tail, beckoning the group after him. "Come on everyone. Let's head back to base."

* * *

"Lunar Sigil!" Kingfisher's Wing yowled as the group entered the Tribe's base. The base was similar to the clans' Gathering place. Around the field was forest where the members of the tribe lived. The field was just a converging place.

A white tom appeared and began walking towards the group. "Kingfisher's Wing. Who are these cats? Did you run into them on your patrol?"

Kingfisher's Wing nodded. Crane's Wing watched Lunar Sigil with wide eyes. _He looks just like his father._

"This is Crane's Wing," Kingfisher's Wing explained. "My brother."

Lunar Sigil's eyes went wide. They flickered over to Crane's Wing then back at Kingfisher's Wing. He eyed the three ThunderClan cats then cocked his head in confusion. He threw his head back and yowled. "Tribe of the Sacred Lines! Let all cats gather at the Sacred Stump!"

Lunar Sigil whisked around and crossed the field to where the large tree stump stood. He bunched up his leg muscles and leaped up on to it. He waved his tail, gestering for Crane's Wing and his friends to sit below him. Crane's Wing moved and the three followed close behind, sitting in a line just in front of the stump.

Over the next few heartbeats, cats began trickling from the trees to the field. Dozens and dozens of them, easily more than all four clans combined. Crane's Wing curled his tail and purred as he spotted many familiar pelts in the crowd. However, no one seemed to do the same when they saw him. Instead, he was met his looks of confusion.

"Lines of the Tribe of the Sacred Lines," Lunar Sigil addressed from his place atop the stump once the field had been filled, "I'm sure many of you remember Crane's Wing of the line of Jay's Wing. My father Solar Sigil sent him on a journey many season cycles ago. Our tribemate has finally returned to us."

Crane's Wing willed himself not to duck his head as the massive clearing broke into murmurs. Lunar Sigil didn't yowl or wave for silence, letting the cats chatter amongst themselves. Once they went quiet, he spoke again.

"How was your journey, Crane's Wing?" Lunar Sigil questioned. "It has been a long time. What made you decide to return to us?"

"I completed my mission," Crane's Wing began. "And I-"

"You completed your mission?" a voice called out from the crowd of cats. Crane's Wing pinpointed the source and saw his Line Head, Swallow Flight, staring at him with wide eyes.

"What was his mission?" a younger cat Crane's Wing didn't recognize called out.

"My mission was to find the three," Crane's Wing announced. He looked over at his three ThunderClan friends. "This is Jayfeather, Dovewing, and Lionblaze, better known as Jay's Wing, Dove's Wing, and Lion's Roar."

The field suddenly broke into yowls and screeches of shock and surprise. Dovewing and Jayfeather flattened their ears against their heads, their sharp hearing offended by the loud sounds.

"Quiet!" Lunar Sigil yowled. He hopped off the stump, landing in front of the three. He dipped his head respectfully. "It is an honor to meet you, sacred cats."

Dovewing chuckled nervously. "You really don't need to bow. We're just cats like you."

"Cats with the Power of the Stars," Jayfeather grunted. "It's not everyday you meet a cat like that. Let them do as they please."

"You're blind," Dovewing hissed quietly. "You can't see them. This is so awkward!"

Jayfeather rolled his blind blue eyes and swung his head over to look at Crane's Wing fluidly. "Crane, didn't you have something to tell this one?"

"Right," Crane's Wing said. He looked over at his shama. "Lunar Sigil, there is danger coming."

Lunar Sigil scoffed. "That's impossible. This forest has been blessed by the power of the Astral Plane. It will protect us until the end of time."

"Not from Black Spot," Crane's Wing told him.

Lunar Sigil stiffened. He glanced back at his tribe. "Tribe, welcome these sacred cats among you as if they were your kin. I must speak with Crane's Wing alone."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Wooo! They be there!

If you don't remember Crane's Wing's explanation of how his tribe works, it's basically one big tribe with a bunch of smaller clans within it called Lines. Each Line has a leader called a Line head and each Line is made up of cats descended from an important cat in history. In this chapter, we learned that there are Lines for Jay's Wing, Grey Wing, Shattered Ice, and Lion's Roar each have a line. If you're wondering how this tribe knows about those cats, it's been explain before. There is also a shama Line. The word shama comes from the traditional religion of Mongols, the Aboriginal people, and other people. Shamanism has to do with an unseen world of gods, demons, and spirits that only can be contacted by the shamas. In this story, the shama is the leader of the Tribe of Sacred Lines and is the only cat who can communicate with the Astral Plane. If you don't remember what that is, it's basically like StarClan but its not limited to clan cats and only the most important cats in history can go there. Anyway, the Tribe of Sacred Lines live scattered around in a forest but they are one whole. They are history keepers rather than warriors and teach their young the history of catkind as far back as they can remember (starting around when the original tribe split into three which is cannon).

Personally, I hate it when people just call warriors characters by the first part of their name but I think it's adorable when Lionblaze just calls Jayfeather Jay. It's done to show how close they are so some of the characters do it on occasion in this story. The Tribe of Sacred Lines, like the Tribe of Rushing Water, shorten their long names which is why Crane's Wing sometimes just calls Kingfisher's Wing Kingfisher. Also because it's tiring repeatedly writing out cats' entire names.

What do you guys think about Kingfisher's Wing, Dust, Red Wing, and Leopard's Paw? Kingfisher's Wing was mentioned in the first story. His name just came from me googling "birds." The name Red Wing comes from Marvel. The name Dust comes from Dust Muzzle, some cat in WindClan. In Tallstar's Revenge, some cat mentions that Shattered Ice discovered the tunnels so the clan remembers him so I decided to make him a 'sacred cat.' The name Leopard's Paw just comes from the Animal's Body Part/ Thing naming formula.

I totally would have asked for OC submissions but I was worried you guys wouldn't be able to follow the naming formula. I'm using the naming formula for the Ancients, the early Tribe of Rushing Water, and pre-clan group cats. Most of the cats in the tribe won't even be mentioned so I'm not making a full allegiances list. I just have a short list of characters who will be mentioned/ have important roles.

I legit keep forgetting this fanfic exists. I haven't worked on it for more than 20 minutes at a time in like three months. I had my last AP test today. APWH prompts this year were pretty good. I feel like such a geek for getting excited about the prompts. Anyway, I got a couple of good reviews on The Ancient Spirits that is giving me some motivation to write but at the same time I'm loving all the other stories I'm working on.

Reviews (from Chapter 10):

_Darth Jay_\- Good job! We will be seeing "Lynx something" pretty soon and you were right about all his relatives being named after birds. Surprisingly, I was not too sad about all the "love you three thousand" stuff. I cried four times during Infinity War (and I haven't cried since then) but I was totally fine during Endgame. Didn't come close to crying. The theater did clap at 13 points during the movie though (I counted, it was kind of weird). I got sad while writing fanfic about it though and then everything hit me. Took me a few days to recover from that.

_Feathershade_\- Oof. You doing good after everything that went down? And don't worry about missing chapters.

_Demerti's Doctor_\- Thank you Demerti's Doctor. I'll be sure to check your letter anytime I feel the need to hurt Demetri.

Internet cookies that I promised:

_Darth Jay_\- (::) (::)


	12. Chapter 12

Crane's Wing followed Lunar Sigil away from the stump where the tribe had gathered. Behind him, he was vaguely aware of Lionblaze moving defensively to his blind brother's side as the tribe's awed cats rushed forward to see if the cats they worshipped were real.

Lunar Sigil lead Crane's Wing a distance into the forest before stopping. He turned, watching him with keen eyes, and sat down across from the grey tom. Crane's Wing dipped his head respectfully before sitting himself.

"It's nice to meet you," Crane's Wing murmured. He paused. "I never expected Solar Sigil to die so young."

"I hear you've been gone for four season cycles," Lunar Sigil told him, voice passive. "That's almost half the lifespan of a lot of cats."

"That's true," Crane's Wing sighed. "Who else has passed?"

"That's not important," Lunar Sigil said offhandedly. "Why are you here?"

Crane's Wing reeled back slightly. "What? Why wouldn't I be here?"

"Like I said, four season cycles ago my father sent you on a foolish quest. Why try to return now of all times?" Lunar Sigil questioned. "What do you plan to get out of telling me three rogues are cats from the Astral Plane? And why mention Black Spot? Only our tribe's leaders know of him. Obviously my father told you something about him, don't think that's a pass to return."

Crane's Wing blinked. "You think I'm a lying? Why would I lie about this?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking."

Crane's Wing hung his head. "I don't know what to tell you. That's really them. I've seen their powers and I've met Rock."

"You met Rock?" Lunar Sigil questioned.

"Yeah." Crane's Wing nodded. "And Cloud."

"Who?"

"One of the other Astral Beasts," Crane's Wing explained. "He founded the Tribe of Darkest Void."

"What?"

"Cloud said it used to be called the Tribe of Blackest Night," Crane's Wing offered.

"Oh. Yeah, I've heard of them in my lessons," Lunar Sigil said. He cleared his throat. "So what did this Cloud tell you?"

"Just that Black Spot and the Tribe of Darkest Void aims to destroy all the other tribes," Crane's Wing told him, "and the clans."

"The clans?"

"Where Jayf- er- Jay's Wing, Dove's Wing, and Lion's Roar live," Crane's Wing told him. "Dove's Wing and Lion's Roar are warriors and Jay's Wing is a healer. They can train our tribe for battle and help us prepare for when the Tribe of-"

"Don't worry yourself, Crane's Wing," Lunar Sigil said.

"What? Didn't you hear me? I said-"

"I heard you."

"Do you not believe me?"

Lunar Sigil was quiet for a moment. "I don't know you. Therefore I don't trust you. From what I know about you, you're not very reliable. But if you are right, the forest will protect us and if it can't, we'll settle this diplomatically. We're a peaceful group. We don't need to fight."

"Midnight, our founder, was a beast of faith and an intellectual but she above all that was also a warrior," Crane's Wing pointed out. "Even if a battle's unlikely, we should still prepare. I'm sure the tribe would be more than happy to train under the three."

"I don't want any foreign influence in my tribe," Lunar Sigil told him.

"They're not foreign. We're not foreign. I'm older than you and their spirits are older than every cat in this tribe combined," Crane's Wing stated. "We belong here."

"Maybe once," Lunar Sigil argued. "You've spent most of your life away from us. You've changed. And if those cats really are the Astral Cats, they are reincarnations like my father claimed they'd be. They've lived their whole lives away from this field. You four have been far too exposed to the outside world."

"And what's wrong with that?" Crane's Wing questioned, uncharacteristic anger rising up. "The world is beautiful. I've seen the sun-drown place, the mountains, hundreds of twolegplaces… I've met more cats than I could count and I've met so many different kinds of animals and I've learned so much more than I ever could here."

"Which is precisely why I can't have you here," Lunar Sigil told him. "You're too different now. We have a way of life, traditions. The knowledge you now have would change this tribe too much."

"Aren't we supposed to be history keepers?" Crane's Wing questioned. "Our tribe only knows our own history and we don't even know all of it. If you've had the same lessons as I did, you know about the second break off from the first tribe, right?"

"You're point?"

Crane's Wing sighed and took in a breath. "After the original Tribe of Cats split into three tribes, Midnight lead our tribe and Rock lead the Tribe of Still Water. When that tribe moved to the mountains for the final time, a group of cats broke off and joined our tribe. Many season cycles later, a second group left the mountains to form the clans and generations later we met some of those cats who spread their stories. As a result, we created lines with the names of Grey Wing, Shattered Ice, and so many other cats. We remember them even though they weren't part of our original history. Why should know be any different?"

"The world is much older now than it was then," Lunar Sigil said. "There's much, much more to remember. We already have a hard time remembering what we do, anything more would ruin us."

Crane's Wing looked down and shuffled his paws. "I know. I mean, I get that but I think this is one of the few things where quantity is valued over quality. Our tribe remembers a lot and most of it is pretty unimportant compared to the rest of it. If we-"

"Enough," Lunar Sigil snapped, interrupting him. "I'm this tribe's shama, I will decide how we practice our traditions. I will not have some… migrant telling me how to lead my tribe."

Crane's Wing reeled back. "The shama doesn't lead the tribe. The shama guides and teaches the tribe and communes with the Astral Plane. You don't get to decide those kinds of things."

"You weren't here when Solar Sigil's mind began to fail," Lunar Sigil said, voice hard. "Times were rough on this tribe, I had to step up and restore us. We are stable now, I don't want to lose that stability ever again."

"A powerful tribe is coming to destroy us," Crane's Wing said gently. "I'm merely suggesting we learn how to defend ourselves from the cats our tribe worships so that we're not destroyed. Really, we're not going to rewrite history. I just think the tribe cats should learn a few battle moves and how to use healing herbs."

"We know enough," Lunar Sigil said. "As you said, Midnight was a being of faith, an intellectual, and a warrior. Our tribe abandon her warrior side long ago."  
Something struck in Crane's Wing's mind. _Is that how the three got their powers? Lionblaze got his battle abilities from Midnight and the Tribe of the Sacred Lines abandon their warrior skills… Rock was an observer, migrant, and guardian. The Tribe of Rushing Water were migrants and they are still guardians but they aren't observers anymore yet Dovewing is... Cloud had the power of the mind and, as a fox, he was a master of darkness and trickery. I don't know much about the Tribe of Darkest Void but they've got that dark side. Does that mean they've forgotten the power of the mind? The three have the Astral Beasts' powers that the tribes have forgotten._

"If we're history keepers, we shouldn't forget our history," Crane's Wing stated. "I really think it would be best for us to relearn our battle skills. Especially if danger is coming."

"My decision is final," Lunar Sigil declared. "We will settle this in a civilized way, not like a pack of dogs fighting over territory. You may stay, you have useful intelligence on our foes, but you must leave. I can't have you staying in my tribe."

Crane's Wing lowered his head. Part of him wanted to snarl and argue but that wasn't who he was. Cranewing had been a strong, proud warrior but Crane's Wing always had and always would be an unfocused, weak-willed, wandering joke.

He let out a long sigh. "Fine. If that's how you want to be then you're not my shama. The three and I-"

"Enough," Lunar Sigil snapped. His eyes narrowed. "Leave. Now."

Crane's Wing waved his tail passively and dipped his head before turning away. He glanced back over his shoulder. "You're the only one who will suffer from this, Lunar Sigil."

Lunar Sigil glared at him. "This is my tribe. Not yours. I will lead them through whatever dangers may pass and we will stay strong through it as we have been for generations."

Crane's Wing sighed and continued walking away, leaving Lunar Sigil standing alone in the forest.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Is it bad that I just keep forgetting this fanfic exists? I haven't hit the point where I've run out of prewritten chapters so I've got a few backed up. I just keep forgetting that I'm supposed to be uploading them...

Updates might be less frequent. It took me like two months to read the following chapter. It's not even a good one, I was just unmotivated. Reviews help though.

Reviews

_Hillary Clinton_\- Why is Kingfisher like naming someone after something that hadn't existed yet? A kingfisher is a type of bird so the name Kingfisher's Wing follows the naming formula. Originally the name solely existed as a joke and I never intended for him to actually be a character but now that Crane's Wing is back with his kin, I have to use the old names I put in The Ancient Spirits as a joke.

_Wolfwhisker_\- It was explained in this chapter. Half the cats 'forgot' Crane's Wing because they never met him since he was gone for so long. Lunar Sigil didn't tell the younger cats about him.


	13. Chapter 13

"Crane's Wing!" a voice called as Crane's Wing padded back into the field.

"Lynx's Roar!" Crane's Wing purred as the golden tom bounded up to him. He rubbed his head against his in greeting. "It's so good to see you! I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," Lynx's Roar said as he stepped back to look into his friend's eyes. "I always knew you'd come back. And you've brought Jay's Wing, Dove's Wing, and Lion's Roar with you!"

"Yeah," Crane's Wing said, realizing for the first time that he'd done just that. "I did."

"Crane's Wing!" Jayfeather yowled as he bounded over and skidded to a stop next to him. He was breathing kind of hard. "Why are all your kin so… so…"

"Obsessive?"

"I was going to say loud but that too."

Crane's Wing's whiskers twitched in amusement. He flicked his ears at Lynx's Roar. "Jayfeather, this is my friend Lynx's Roar."

Jayfeather waved his tail in greeting. "Hi there. Crane's Wing's talked about you a lot. It's nice to finally meet you."

Lynx's Roar dipped his head. "It's an honor to meet you."

Jayfeather's blind stare remained blank and Crane's Wing poked Lynx's Roar, making him lift his head. "Don't bow to him. To them it's weird. Besides, Jayfeather's blind. He can't tell what you're doing or not doing."

Lynx's Roar blinked. "Jay's Wing's blind?"

"Reincarnating into Jayfeather was rough," Jayfeather told him. "I spent an eternity trapped in a realm outside of the night sky, the Astral Plane, and the waking world. It was pretty bad and I lost my eyesight when I escaped into Jayfeather's body."

Crane's Wing shuffled his paws. It was strange hearing Jayfeather talk about Jayfeather in the third person. Usually he talked about Jay's Wing like he was a different cat.

"Can't you use your powers to restore your eyesight?" Lynx's Roar asked.

"No. I'm just a cat now, not a spirit. I can't just change my body as I please," Jayfeather told him. "But I feel more like Jayfeather than Jay's Wing and Jayfeather has been blind his whole life. I'm used to it."

Lynx's Roar blinked. "Well… whatever works."

"Crane! Jay!" Lionblaze called as he ran over with Dovewing at his side. He paused next to his friend and butted him with good spirit. "Why didn't you tell us your tribe was a cult?"

Crane's Wing chuckled. "I'm pretty sure I've told you many times how seriously we take honoring our ancestors."

"I know but this is crazy," Lionblaze said. "Some cat just asked me about the most bizarre thing… I don't even remember what it was."

"She asked what Shining Feather was like," Dove's Wing spoke up.

"I don't even know who that is!"

"She was your sister," Jayfeather told him. "She died when you were a moon old."

"Okay, how do they expect me to remember that?" Lionblaze questioned. "My memories from my past life are nowhere near as clear as yours, Jayfeather, and I can't even remember what Hollyleaf was like when she was a moon old. How do these cats even know about Feather Shine?"

"Shining Feather," Crane's Wing and Lynx's Roar said in unison.

"Whatever," Lionblaze said, waving his tail. "Point is that these cats know way too much about me. It's kind of creepy."

Crane's Wing snorted in amusement. "You've seen nothing yet. You should come to one of the history lessons."

"I really don't want to," Lionblaze groaned. "I just want to go to sleep, fight whoever I need to, and then go home."

Lynx's Roar purred. "Spoken like Lion's Roar."

"Lynx, is there a spare den we can sleep in?" Crane's Wing asked. "We've been traveling for a long time."

"You four can come to my den," Lynx's Roar said and glanced at the three. "Crane's Wing and I used to share a den. His nest is gone but I never got a new denmate. There's enough room for a few more nests."

"Thank you," Dove's Wing said with a dip of her head. Lion's Roar was practically glowing just from the simple gesture.

Crane's Wing shouldered him playfully and began walking in the direction of his old den. "Come on. We should get going before some other cat decides they want to bug Lionblaze."

* * *

When Crane's Wing drifted off to sleep in his new nest, he could hear Lionblaze and Lynx's Roar talking about something or another while Jayfeather caught Dovewing up on some history she'd forgotten.

Crane's Wing's eyes were only closed for a heartbeat when he felt a damp chill surround him. He blinked them open and found himself in a familiar realm of fog. _I'm dreaming._

The fog shifted and parted, revealing a familiar figure looming over him. Cloud sat in a clearing in the fog, tail flowing majestically behind him and sharp features looking as handsome as ever. Cloud leaned down, lying on the invisible ground, and folded his black paws over each other. He blinked at Crane's Wing, yellow eyes piercing his soul. Crane's Wing shivered. _I feel like he can see right through me._

Cloud waved his tail, beckoning Crane's Wing to lie with him. Crane's Wing scampered over and sat before the beast. Cloud, being a fox, was still taller than Crane's Wing lying down but the fear that Crane's Wing previously held was long gone.

"I see you've returned to our tribe," Cloud spoke.

Crane's Wing nodded. "Solar Sigil's dead. Lunar Sigil's the tribe shama now. Things are different… Though I suppose you already knew that."

Cloud's whiskers twitched in amusement. "I'm not omniscient. I live in the Astral Plane but I have a physical form. I know only what I see, the Astral cats and animals tell me, and a bit of what my anchor knows."

"Anchor?" Crane's Wing questioned, word sounding familiar. "You mean Jayfeather? Er, Jay's Wing?"

Cloud nodded. "He holds some of my power. I am tied to him but our connection is weak when we are both in the same realm so I don't know everything he does. Please, tell me about your conversation with our tribe's shama."

"I told him that Black Spot is coming," Crane's Wing said, "but he doesn't really believe me. I mean, he kind of does. He said he'd try to settle this diplomatically but he doesn't want the tribe to know or prepare in any way."

Cloud's eyes narrowed. "Foolish cat, that one. He's a shama, he knows of Black Spot. When he communes with the Astral cats, they should have told him how dangerous he is and how powerful his tribe is."

"He thinks the forest will protect us," Crane's Wing told the Astral Beast. "He says the sacred cats blessed it with their power to protect us."

"Bless?" Cloud repeated. He scoffed. "Such a ridiculous word, blessed. There is no such thing as receiving a blessing. The universe gives and it takes, bestows and curses. No spirit can just create power and give it to another."

"So we've been living in the same forest for generations with zero protection?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Cloud said. He waved his tail behind him. "The Tribe of Darkest Void will tear right through it and your tribe. You need to do something."

"I know but I don't know what," Crane's Wing said. "Lunar Sigil won't listen to me."

"You don't need Lunar Sigil. You need to do this on your own."

"How? I'm not very strong and there's nothing special about me," Crane's Wing sighed. He closed his eyes and lowered his head. "I don't know why Solar Sigil chose me to find Jay's Wing and I don't know why you chose me to warn our tribe. You should pick someone else."

Crane's Wing felt a muzzle rest on is head. When he opened his eyes, he saw Cloud resting his chin on his forehead comfortingly. "You are strong and you are special. You are the only one who can save the Tribe of Sacred Lines from the Tribe of Darkest Void. I saw all of history in the lake on the first sunrise. This is your destiny, Crane's Wing."

Crane's Wing opened his mouth to respond but a wind blew through the fog realm, taking Cloud as it blew by and leaving Crane's Wing alone.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The curse of the 13th chapter has been broken! Legit took me nearly 3 months to write this thing and it's not even anything special. Crane's Wing literally just tells Cloud what he talked to Lunar Sigil about and hangs out with Lynx's Roar. Took me a week to write 14 but I knocked out 15, 16, 17, and 18 the same day I finished 14. Story should speed up a bit now.

BTW, I typed up short descriptions for some of the OCs on my profile. Let me know if you read them or if you feel like anything needs to be changed. The OC section on my profile is only for important characters that we've seen so far so not everyone will be there. Personally, I don't like OCs but I had to create an entire tribe that (as I have recently realized) has like 15 miniclans in it. I'm not going to write out a full allegiances list or anything. I just have a list with brief descriptions.

Reviews-

_Wolfwhisker of Something_\- Yeah, he's kind of a jerk. I forgot how stubborn Stoneteller was. I guess tribe leaders just like to stick to the old ways. Remember, clan leaders didn't get so open minded and lenient until recently since all the ogs are dead.


	14. Chapter 14

When Crane's Wing woke in the morning, he immediately blinked his open to two murky blue orbs boring into his soul. With a surprised yowl, he jumped back and tripped over Dovewing who was sleeping nearby. The heartbeat his paw hit her, he stiffened like he was frozen in ice but his actions didn't invoke anything more than a few grumbles.

"Jayfeather," Crane's Wing hissed, turning his head. "Why in the name of StarClan were you standing over me while I was sleeping?"

"You were dreaming," Jayfeather said as if it were obvious. "You were talking with Cloud, right?"

"How did you know?" Crane's Wing asked. "I know you didn't walk in my dreams."

"I sensed the energy from the fog realm," Jayfeather told him. "It kept me up all night so I decided to wait for you to wake up so I could get some shut eye."

"Oh. Sorry. Did you stay up long?"

Jayfeather waved him off with his tail. "Don't worry about it. I walked around the forest a bit. I met a friend of yours. Coal I think his name was. He's from Rock's bloodline, right? Nice cat. He didn't freak out at the sight of me like everyone else."

"Yeah, he's like that," Crane's Wing said.

"So what did Cloud talk to you about?"

Crane's Wing lashed his tail. "So turns out the forest around here is not blessed with the power of the sacred cats. Apparently there's no such thing as a blessing either. The forest won't protect us and Cloud doesn't think we'll be able to settle this peacefully."

Jayfeather tilted his head. "Well duh. Was that ever the plan?"

"It's Lunar Sigil's plan," Crane's Wing grumbled. "Cloud told me to just forget him. I don't think I can change his clan. He's got moss in his brain or something."

Jayfeather blinked, not missing a beat. "Can't Cloud just send a dream to him?"

"That's not how it works," Crane's Wing sighed. "You probably know more about the Astral Plane than I do but since the Astral Beasts walk in the world of the living, they don't have their full powers. Each of the Beasts is anchored to one of the three so they can't freely pass between realms and they can't fully merge minds with you guys just because of the distance between you."

"Doesn't sound very sacred to me," Jayfeather said. "I'd think Astral Beasts would be more omnipotent than Astral Spirits."

"They are. They're cursed, remember? That interferes with something I guess," Crane's Wing shrugged. "Anyway, I think I'm going to go talk to Lunar Sigil. Each bloodline is about the size of a clan and there are more Lines than clans so if Lunar Sigil orders the tribe to train for battle, I'm sure we would do alright against the Tribe of Darkest Void."

Jayfeather rose to his paws. "Do you want me to come with you? Sounds like you don't know Lunar Sigil very well. Maybe I can be more convincing."

"Thanks Jayfeather," Crane's Wing murmured and the two padded past their friends and out of the den into the dawnlight.

* * *

Lunar Sigil's den was pretty far off from the other tribecats' dens much like how clan leaders lived outside the warriors' den in camp. It was just a bit after dawn when Jayfeather and Crane's Wing arrived at the den. Upon breaching the clearing it was in, Crane's Wing came to a stop, paws suddenly feeling heavy, and swallowed nervously.

Jayfeather sighed. "What is it?"

"I don't think Lunar Sigil wants to talk to us first thing in the morning," Crane's Wing said.

"Forget him. I'm a sacred cat. I can do whatever I want," Jayfeather said. "What'll you do if I just march in there and start yowling?"

Crane's Wing stared at him wide eyed. "Is that a twoleg thing? I swear making you read twoleg minds was a mistake. You're all weird now."

Jayfeather rolled his blind eyes. "Whatever. You got any ideas?"

"No…"

"Then we're just going to walk up and talk to him."

Crane's Wing began waking intelligible sounds of protest. Jayfeather just gave him a bored look.

"Calm down. You've got no problem talking to Bramblestar."

"Yeah but Bramblestar's my friend. And he's still a warrior. Shamas aren't like clan leaders."

Jayfeather sighed. "We really need to get over his anxiety of yours." Without another word, Jayfeather marched up to the den and kicked a stone, announcing his arrival. "Hey, Lunar Sigil. Wake up."

Crane's Wing stiffened and prepared to bolt but the white tom's head poked out of the den and his sharp eyes fell right on the older tom. Crane's Wing waved his tail awkwardly in greeting.

"What do you want?" Lunar Sigil asked bluntly, looking annoyed.

Jayfeather looked over his shoulder to his look alike. Crane's Wing shot him a glare before dipping his head to Lunar Sigil. "I had a dream last night."

"And? Cats dream all the time."

"Not just any dream. The dreamy kind."

"He got a dream from the Astral Plane," Jayfeather translated before Lunar Sigil could say anything.

Lunar Sigil snorted. "And you expect me to believe that? I'm a shama. If the sacred cats have anything to tell the tribe, they'll contact me."

"Not the Astral Beasts," Jayfeather said. "They don't give a flying fox dung who you are."

Lunar Sigil's eyes narrowed but Crane's Wing jumped in before he could say anything. "The tribe won't be safe here. Like I told you, the Tribe of Darkest Void wants to destroy us, the other tribe, and the clans. We're their first target, the first line of defense. We have to train to fight-"

"No," Lunar Sigil interrupted. "The Tribe of Sacred Lines isn't a tribe of… warriors. We are intellectuals. We won't settle this by fighting."

Jayfeather snorted. "I don't know much about the lines but it seems like each one's a clan within a larger group. Just by looking at them I can tell that Lion's Roar's Line are warriors and my own line is well suited to offer support in battle. There are several clansworth of cats here. Even if we don't win a battle, we can do enough damage to win the war."

"This is not war," Lunar Sigil responded pointedly. "This is merely a… confrontation. I respect you, Jay's Wing, I really do but you are not of this tribe and you do not know our ways."

"You're making a mistake. This tribe was once made up of terrific fighters."

"But not anymore. Please, let it go. We cannot defeat Black Spot and his followers. I might be able to bargain or convince Black Spot that the Tribe of Sacred Lines is no threat."

"But he doesn't care!" Crane's Wing protested. He was silenced by a sharp glare from his shama. Crane's Wing flinched and opened his mouth to retort but cut off when he saw the sad look in Lunar Sigil's eyes. Realization dawned on the grey tom. _He's afraid. He just wants to keep the tribe living as it always has. He's not being a stubborn pain in the tail. He's just trying to do what he thinks will benefit the clan the most._ Crane's Wing glanced at Jayfeather. _Can he sense what he's feeling?_

Jayfeather lowered his gaze. "Very well. We don't need you. Some of the lines are surely willing to fight for their lives and kin."

Lunar Sigil lashed his tail. "Don't tell me how to lead my tribe. You may be a sacred cat but I'm the shama here. Please, let me handle this."

Jayfeather didn't say anything, sweeping around. He waved his tail, beckoning Crane's Wing to follow. Not wanting to sit with the angry shama, Crane's Wing quickly followed him and flanked him with their fur barely touching to help guide the blind medicine cat. He rose his muzzle to Jayfeather's ear. "We're not going to let him handle this, right?"

"Of course not," Jayfeather replied. "Come on, let's head back to you den to talk this over with Lionblaze, Dovewing, and Lynx's Roar."

* * *

"... and then he said to let him handle it," Crane's Wing finished. He had been talking quickly and staring at his paws in his den. He looked up nervously to see his friends' reactions.

"We're not letting him handle this, right?" Lionblaze asked. "I mean, that's a pretty mousebrained thing to do. This Lunar Sigil sounds like a real pain in the tail to deal with."

"He's not all that bad," Lynx's Roar shrugged. "I still wish Solar Sigil was the tribe's shama but he does his best with what he's got."

"He's scared," Jayfeather said. "Scared to lose his tribe, scared to break tradition,scared to die. Too scared to do what he needs to do for the tribes and clans."

"We need to convince everyone to prepare for battle," Dovewing suggested. "We don't know when the Tribe of Darkest Void is going to attack the field. If we start now and they attack in a moon or two, the tribe could so some serious damage and maybe even drive them off for a bit."

"The tribe has no real fighters," Lynx's Roar said with a shake of his head. "Our strength is in numbers. Maybe we should just run."

"Like a bunch of mouse hearts?" Lionblaze questioned.

"Better than dying."

"I guess that's true," Lionblaze admitted. "But I'd rather die than abandon what's important to me. When the clans moved, it would've been difficult moving just one clan but all four migrated. The Tribe of Sacred Lines is too big to move and settle into a new territory. You'd have to split up, maybe into a few nomadic tribes or clans. If ThunderClan was stuck between breaking apart and fighting, I'd fight."

"These cats are united as one tribe but they are already divided amongst themselves," Jayfeather pointed out. "The shama unifies them but each line had a linehead like a clan leader. Maybe we could get them to convince the lines to fight."

Crane's Wing nodded. "Maybe. Swallow Flight and Claystone are usually pretty easygoing. They'll definitely listen."

"Roaring Tiger has Lion's Roar's fighting spirit," Lynx's Roar added. "He'll be ready for battle. Falling Tree could so either way. I'm not totally sure about the others."

"I don't know if we can even get them to listen to us," Crane's Wing said, "let alone agree to train their cats to fight to their possible deaths."

"What are you meowing about?" Jayfeather questioned. "Of course they'll listen to you."

Crane's Wing shook his head. "You know how I am. I'm a joke in the tribe. Just the scatterbrained cat who couldn't keep up with his lessons and got sent away from the tribe."

"And what came out of that? You found the three," Jayfeather pointed out. "They'll listen."

Lynx's Roar slapped Crane's Wing the face with his tail playfully. "Wake up, fuzzball. You're a hero! They'll listen to you. You just need to give them reason to follow you."

Crane's Wing swallowed. "Maybe… Alright. Okay, alright. Let's do this. Let's convince the Lines to prepare for battle."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Honestly, these chapters where Crane's Wing is just running around the tribe freaking out are kind of boring. Jayfeather was a bit ooc but that was just to make things interesting and it's understandable.

I think I'm going to start doing the question of the day thing. I tried it on The Wrong Pawsteps awhile ago and y'all seemed to like it. Let's start off easy.

QoTD: Who's your favorite Warriors character and why?

Reviews-

_Wolfwhisker of Something_\- Black Spot will be coming soon. Unfortunately he does not look like Darktail. As Cloud explained, he is regularly reincarnated so he just has some random body. His description is on my profile. None the og leaders were despots like Brokenstar but they were far from open minded. When the first book happened, all the clans hated each other, had a very harsh closed border policy, were totally the cat equivalent of racist, and very heavily into rank then Firestar came in and changed everything. Og ThunderClan is America (messes with other countries, takes in immigrants, has lots of people who never die during giant wars), og RiverClan is like Italy (wants more territory and has lots of good food), og ShadowClan is like 40s Germany (needs no explanation), and WindClan is like Poland (weak and gets pushed around by everyone else but has a few good things) and they all hated each other for that. It wasn't until they moved the the Dark Forest battle happened that the UN happened and everyone got happy in one giant alliance.


	15. Chapter 15

Crane's Wing sat atop a small boulder with the three and Lynx's Roar at his side. Around him sat a ring of cats looking up at him expectantly. The tom's mind whirled, not knowing what to do or say. He swallowed and cleared his throat, grabbing everyone's attention.

"You all know me," Crane's Wing started. "I'm Crane's Wing, the cat who Solar Sigil sent to find Jay's Wing. This is Jayfeather, Jay's Wing; Lionblaze, Lion's Roar; and Dovewing, Dove's Wing. We returned to the tribe to warn you all of danger but Lunar Sigil refuses to listen so we have called together the leaders of each individual line in the Tribe of Sacred Lines to discuss our course of action."

"Not everyone," a tom Crane's Wing didn't recognize grunted, referencing Lunar Sigil's lack of presence.

"Yeah, well not everyone wanted to come," Jayfeather responded in his usual grumpy tone which Crane's Wing hadn't heard in awhile. "In case you don't know, I'm blind so everyone say your name and line so I can tell who you are when we start talking."

"I'm Roaring Tiger," a large orange tom responded, "of the Lion's Roar Line."

"I am Swallow Flight. I'm head of the Jay's Wing Line," a black tom said. He paused and dipped his head to Dovewing. "And the Dove's Wing Line, of course."

"My name is Claystone," a large tortoiseshell tom stated. "I'm from the Rock Line, the most honored line other than the shama line in the Tribe of Sacred Lines."

"The name's Wax," grunted a white tom with grey chest fur. "I'm from the Half Moon Line."

"I'm White Feather," a white she-cat with bright blue eyes said. Crane's Wing didn't recognize her. She was young, born after he left. "I'm head of the Grey Wing Line. And his sacred kin, of course."

"Frozen Earth," a white and brown tom stated. "Shattered Ice Line."

"Scorch Eyes," a red tom almost hissed. Crane's Wing didn't recognize him either. This cat was another new head. "Lightning Tail Line."

The next cat who spoke, a ginger she-cat, was also young and new. "I'm Fluttering Feather of the Fallen Leaves Line."

"My name is Rolled Fern," a brown she-cat said, "from the Furled Bracken Line."

"I'm Splotch Ear," a brown tom said quietly. "I'm from the Dappled Pelt Line."

"I'm called Bright Sky," a young pale tom said. "I'm head of the Sun Shadow Line."

"The name is Diving Sparrow," a brown she-cat said. "I'm from the Moth Flight Line."

"Web Tail," a blue grey tom breathed. "River Ripple Line."

"And I'm Falling Tree," a brown she-cat said. "I speak for the cats who's blood is too mixed to claim allegiance to any major bloodline."

Jayfeather curled his tail. "Fourteen line heads. Unless any minor Lines have anything significant to add to the conversation, let's have only the major line heads talk for now. That means…"

"Roaring Tiger, Swallow Flight, Claystone, Wax, and White Feather," Lynx's Roar told him. He glanced at the line heads apologetically. "Sorry but we don't want everyone talking over each other."

Scorch Eyes glared at him but Bright Sky nodded. "We understand. Lion's Roar, Jay's Wing, Rock, Half Moon, and Grey's Wing were revolutionary cats."

"Sun Shadow was too. For our tribe a least," Swallow Flight pointed out.

"I'd like to pass my speaking rights to Falling Tree," White Feather announced. "She represents more cats than I do and I'm far too inexperienced as a clan head to make these decisions."

All the cats looked to Crane's Wing. He glanced away and shifted his paws in discomfort. "Granted."

"So what's the situation?" Claystone asked.

"First, how was your journey, Crane's Wing?" Swallow Flight asked. "You were gone for a long time."

Crane's Wing nodded. "I found the clans about a six seasons ago. The tree's connection to their ancient spirits and the Astral Plane had weakened and we went on a journey to recover them. A season cycle later I a received a dream from the Astral Beast Cloud."

"Astral Beast?" Falling Tree questioned.

Crane's Wing nodded. "Rock was one of the Astral Beasts as was our founder Midnight. Cloud was the founder of the third tribe, the Tribe of Bright Days at the time. They existed before the Earth and read all of history's prophecies and omens on the sacred lake during the first dawn. They live in the land of the living but have great Astral power."

"And it was Cloud who warned you of this coming danger?" Claystone asked.

Crane's Wing nodded. "Cloud's tribe, the Tribe of Bright Days, turned away from his teachings and became the Tribe of Blackest Night, a tribe who worships the Black Spots in the night sky. The leader gained dark power and brought foxes and badgers into the tribe, aiming to destroy all the other tribes and clans one day, and became the Tribe of Darkest Void."

The clan heads stared at him with wide eyes, nodding numbly.

"Black Spot is coming," Lionblaze rumbled, "but your shama has no interest in fighting him."

"Lunar Sigil wants to settle this peacefully?" Falling Tree asked.

Lionblaze nodded. "That won't work though."

"So you want to fight?" Roaring Lion asked. His lip peeled back in a delighted snarl. "I'm in."

"This tribe is no tribe of fighters," Wax pointed out. "We can barely handle a fox or badger when one wanders onto our territory. We have to fight rogues in groups! I don't know if we can drive off a tribe of warrior cats, badgers, and foxes."

"What are our other options?" Roaring Tiger asked.

"If diplomacy won't work, we could flee," Wax suggested.

"That won't work," Jayfeather said. "There are too many complicating factors."

"Like what exactly?"

"Where can you go that has enough space for all of your lines?" Dovewing asked. "Can this many cats even stick together while traveling? The four warrior clans had to move once and we lost many cats along the way and it was very difficult to find a new place to live. This tribe is too large."

"We could… split apart?" Wax said weakly.

"There is no way to divide up the tribe in a way to make everyone happy, even dividing by lines. I'm sure many of the cats here would rather die than leave their kin and friends," Lionblaze said. "Besides, even if you traveled in smaller groups, the Tribe of Darkest Void will still track you down. They managed to find you here, didn't they?"

"It would only be delaying the inevitable," Falling Tree said, "but if we scattered far enough, a few of the tribe might make it."

"I don't know about you but I'm not satisfied with only a few of our tribe surviving," Swallow Flight said.

"A battle might have the greatest chance of survival," Claystone said. He looked to the three and Crane's Wing. "We know there is one more tribe and you claim to be descendants of the tribes. If we fight now, we can weaken the Tribe of Darkest Void before they reach the clans and the other tribe."

"At the cost of our own cats," Scorch Eyes growled despite the fact that he wasn't supposed to be talking.

"Our cats should be our priority," Wax said, "but it's just bad luck that we're being targeted first. If we're all going to die if we run or fight, fighting means the clans and the other tribe have a better chance of surviving."

"Don't talk like we're all going to die," Swallow Flight growled. "We'll think of something."

"I'm just looking at this objectively," Wax said. "Of course I want everyone to survive but I doubt that will happen."

"We could try both options," Falling Tree suggested. "We could stand and fight to let some cats from each line get away. The Tribe of Darkest Void will never know."

"But that would imply we plan on losing," Roaring Tiger growled. "Our strongest cats would just be willingly sacrificing themselves."

"We'd be losing strength by sending some cats away," Lionblaze pointed out. "Sometimes one cat can make all the difference in a battle."

Swallow Flight's eyes fell on Lionblaze. "You three have the power of the Astral Plane, yes? Can you use your power to destroy the Tribe of Darkest Void?"

"We would if we could," Jayfeather grunted. "We were reborn to save the clans from the Dark Forest and only our most prominent powers were transferred, each with a specific purpose in facing the Dark Forest. I have Cloud's power of the mind to unite, Dovewing has Rock's sensory abilities to warn, and Lionblaze has Midnight's strength for battle. I'm not the best fighter but Lionblaze, Dovewing, and even Crane's Wing are ThunderClan warriors though they can't take the entire Tribe of Darkest Void on their own."

Roaring Tiger curled his tail. "But you know how to fight, yes? Can you train our cats?"

Lionblaze nodded. "That was the plan if you were willing. I know frontal battle, Dovewing is good at more indirect strategies, and Jayfeather is a medicine cat. We don't know when the Tribe of Darkest Void is coming but if we start preparations, we might be able to get the tribe ready in time."

"We obviously don't have the power to make you do anything," Lynx's Roar spoke up, "so we decided we'll let you guys vote and choose what to do with each of your lines. Is that alright?"

Fourteen heads nodded. Crane's Wing felt his belly twist with anxiety. "Alright, everyone raise your tail if you support preparing for battle."

The sound of tails in the air sounded. Lionblaze, Dovewing, and Lynx's Roar blinked in surprise. Jayfeather cocked his head with confusion. "Blind cat here. What'd they do?"

Crane's Wing let himself smile in relief. All fourteen line heads had raised their tails. "We're going to do this. All fourteen lines are going to prepare for battle."

* * *

**Author's Note 1:** If you don't remember, the Tribe of Sacred Lines is made up of cats descended from the most honored cats in history. There is an explanation for all thirteen cats I chose to be considered 'sacred cats'. If you're invested enough in this story to think that the fact that these cats are honored as sacred cats conflicts with the previously given explanations and criteria, here are the explanations as to why these characters are historically important:

Lion's Roar: Not sure what he did in life but apparently he was important enough to be reincarnated and in the previous story it was already established that he has a line and joined the Astral Plane.

Jay's Wing/ Dove's Wing: Jay's Wing is honored for leading the ancients to the mountains. Dove's Wing did something in her life to be worthy of being reincarnated. In the previous story, it was established both joined the Astral Plane.

Rock: He was the first cat who is immortal and knows every prophecy. He was the first Stoneteller before Jay's Wing even created the title. In this story, he is an Astral Beast and the founder of the first Tribe of cats.

Half Moon: Half Moon was the first Stoneteller and she made the decision that lead to the creation of the clans.

Grey Wing: Grey Wing named all the clans. He did some other stuff too. You read the books, you know.

Shattered Ice: In the Dawn of the Clans arc, Shattered Ice didn't do much other than be grumpy but in Tallstar's Revenge (which I think came out before the Sun Trail) one of the tunnelers mentioned that it was Shattered Ice who introduced WindClan to the tunnels (even though I think it was actually Jackdaw's Cry). The clans don't remember that they came from the mountains but they somehow remember Shattered Ice's name so he's an important cat.

Lightning Tail: Lightning Tail was Thunder's best friend, the first ThunderClan deputy, and overall just a great cat. He was Thunder's greatest supporter.

Fallen Leaves: Fallen Leaves died young so got nothing important done and his spirit was trapped in the tunnels so we can confirm that he does not live in the Astral Plane (at least until after the Dark Forest battle) but he's a ghost and he was the last cat to go into the trial if you don't count Jayfeather/ Jay's Wing because they technically cheated by being sent back in time.

Furled Bracken: Furled Bracken is the only cat I don't have an explanation for. He really wasn't that important.

Dappled Pelt: First RiverClan medicine cat and one of the cats who lead the clan to move to the river.

Sun Shadow: Sun Shadow is kin to Shadowstar. In this story, he left the clans and found the Tribe of Stone Jungle (early Tribe of Sacred Lines). He brought the stories of the clans which is how this tribe knows about the early clancats.

Moth Flight: Moth Flight was the first medicine cat and is kin to Windstar and Gorsestar.

River Ripple: River Ripple is Riverstar, the first leader of RiverClan, and he was the one who encouraged alliances between clans. He also came up with the clan naming system according to one of the guide books (though Wind Runner named her kit Emberkit before he came up with the naming system which was weird).

And then there's the mixed blood line because that's bound to happen. The fifteenth line is the shama line which is very small and just made up of cats who lead the tribe. There is no particular bloodline that defines him. If you can think of one, let me know but I don't think anyone can top Rock.

**Author's Note 2:** You don't need to remember the names for the line heads. Most of them won't be here that much (hint hint). What do you think of their names?

This chapter is just a bunch of talking. There will be a few more before real stuff starts going down aka the arrival of Black Spot.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

My Answer to Previous QoTD: If you didn't know, it's Jayfeather. I know everyone likes Jayfeather but that's because he's the best. My favorite non-main character is probably Brackenfur.

Today's Question: If there was a Warriors movie, what would it be about? Would it be a story arc, a character movie, an original story, or something entirely new?

Reviews-

_Wolfwhisker of Something_\- I only realized a few months ago why so many people like Foxleap. He is fantastic. I like Lilyheart alright but she's not in the books all that much. You are so right about the wars. If taking history is good for something, it's comparing cat books to war :p Thanks for reviewing so much. Everyone else fell off the face of the Earth or something. Reviews are what keeps writers writing.


	16. Chapter 16

Crane's Wing lay on his flank in the grass, enjoying the warm sunlight on his fur as he lazily watched Lionblaze rear up on his hind legs and swipe at the air. Around him were several cats from the Lion's Roar bloodline. Beside him, Lynx's Roar tried copying the move but stumbled. Lionblaze helped him up and encouraged him to do it again.

On the other end of the tribe's main field clearing, Jayfeather was showing some cats, mostly from Half Moon's Line, medicinal herbs while Dovewing was showing smaller cats like the ones from Grey Wing's Line and Lightning Tail's Line how to weave around blows.

"What's this?" a voice growled. Crane's Wing turned to see Lunar Sigil standing behind him.

"Oh hey Lunar Sigil," Crane's Wing greeted. "What's up?"

"What's up?" Lunar Sigil growled. His gaze swept over the clearing "What are they doing?"

"Preparing for battle."

"Preparing for-" Lunar Sigil cut off and marched up to the sacred stump, leaping on top of it. "Tribe of the Sacred Lines! Let all cats gather at the Sacred Stump!"

The cats all stopped whatever they were doing and scrambled over to assemble around the sacred stump. Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Dovewing looked confused for a moment before abandoning their places and padding over to sit by some of the cats they had just been teaching. Crane's Wing got to his paws and went to sit with Lynx's Roar and Lionblaze despite knowing that Lunar Sigil was probably going to call him out.

"What do you think your doing?" Lunar Sigil questioned, sounding angry.

"Preparing for battle," Roaring Tiger spoke up.

"I know that! But why? I gave no order."

"The line heads came to a consensus," Claystone said. "We decided that the Lion's Roar, Jay's Wing, Rock, Half Moon, Grey Wing, Shattered Ice, Lightning Tail, Fallen Leaves, Furled Bracken, Dappled Pelt, Sun Shadow, Moth Flight, River Ripple, and Distant Blood Lines will train in the ways of battle and medicine to combat the Tribe of Darkest Void."

"But the shama line did not agree to this," Lunar Sigil hissed. The assembled cats began to murmur amongst themselves. Crane's Wing blinked in confusion. _Did the line heads not tell their cats they were defying Lunar Sigil's orders? _

"You don't walk in Silverpelt," Jayfeather said rudely. "There's no harm in preparing for the inevitable."

"You don't know what kind of power the Black Spots have," Lunar Sigil said. "They could sent Black Spot a vision of us training and take it as a sign of aggression!"

"That's kind of… out there," Dovewing said. "Really, preparing for a fight we know is coming will do more good than bad."

"We don't know a fight is coming," Lunar Sigil growled, tail lashing behind him. "We will settle this peacefully. I don't want to see any of you training for battle anymore."

* * *

That night, Crane's Wing, Lynx's Roar, and the three sat in their shared den with low spirits. Crane's Wing sighed and lay his head down on his paws. Lionblaze swiped his tongue over his ear comfortingly. "Don't let Lunar Sigil get you down, Crane. I'm sure a lot of the tribe will still want to train tomorrow."

Crane's Wing frowned with doubt. "I don't know. Between Lunar Sigil and their own lack of experience, they're bound to give up pretty quickly."

"Hello? Sacred cats right here," Lynx's Roar said comically, waving his tail at the three ThunderClan cats. "You're the cat who brought them here. If they'll follow anyone, it'll be your four."

"You think?"

Lynx's Roar nodded. "Definitely."

"Just sleep it off. You'll feel better about it tomorrow morning," Dovewing said with a yawn. "We all know how stressed you get."

"I guess you're right," Crane's Wing sighed and closed his eyes. He could hear his friends talking in hushed voices around him as the lull of the darkness dragged him into sleep.

But sleep never came. Instead, a familiar voice sliced through the dark tranquility and hissed into his mind, startling Crane's Wing. "_Wake up! He's here!"_

Crane's Wing jumped to his paws in surprise. His friends looked at him in confusion and concern. Crane's Wing scrambled out of his nest and ran up to Dovewing. "Dovewing, Dovewing. Listen."

"Yes?"

"With your ears!"

"What else would I listen with?"

"Use your powers," Crane's Wing said, pawing the ground impatiently.

Dovewing looked confused and closed her eyes, focusing her sensory powers. Her eyes snapped open a moment later with a gasp. "They're here! How are they here? I couldn't hear them approaching earlier…"

"Who's here?" Jayfeather asked.

"Black Spot. And the Tribe of Darkest Void."

"Already?" Lionblaze questioned. "But we've barely had a day to prepare!"

"I don't think they care," Jayfeather said, getting to his paws.

"What do we do?" Lynx's Roar asked, rising.

"What do you think?" Jayfeather questioned. "Run through the forest yowling your head off! Wake everyone up! Lionblaze, go warn the lines in the Lion's Roar corner of the forest. Dovewing, warn the lines in our line's corner. I'll go to the Half Moon Line quarter of the forest and Lynx's Roar will take the last one. Crane's Wing, get Lunar Sigil. Everyone meet up by the stump before moonrise."

* * *

"Lunar Sigil! Lunar Sigil!" Crane's Wing yowled as he ran deep into the forest where the shama's den was. "They're here! The Tribe of Darkest Void, they're in the forest!"

Lunar Sigil was up and out of his den before Crane's Wing even reached the entry. "What?" he rasped.

"Cloud told me and Dovewing can hear them," Crane's Wing said hurriedly. He ran up to the cat, completely disregarding the need to respect his shama, and sank his teeth into his scruff, dragging him towards the meeting place. "The tribe needs you to lead them! Come on."

"I can walk myself," Lunar Sigil grumbled, shaking himself free from Crane's Wing's grip and broke into a run. The pair broke the treeline and ran into the main clearing, all fourteen lines already assembled, minus elders, queens, and kits of course.

Claystone broke from the group and marched up to his shama, dipping his head respectfully. "I assume we will meet them in the forest and not near our dens and kits?"

Lunar Sigil nodded. "Just because I don't want to fight doesn't mean I'm a mouse brain. Come my tribe. Let us meet our sibling tribe."

* * *

**Author's** **Note:** Sorry for not updating in like forever. I had this chapter all edited and everything and I honestly just forgot that I needed to upload it. I really need to get a calendar or something because this happens all the time.

School's out. I only had two finals and they were on the last day of school. I gave up less than half way through the first one and did a lot of educated/ uneducated guesses on the second one but somehow I ended up doing really well on both of them.

I'm taking a summer class (to get ahead, not for credit recovery) and it is the exact same length as a school day. It's computer based and I understand most of it so I've done some writing during class but it's a lot easier to read and not write. I've been reading a lot of crossovers. Back when I started writing, that was the only thing I wrote but they're harder now.

I think I've realized my limit is working on around three stories at once. Right now, I'm working on like eight things, this story being the only one that I'm updating regularly. I really prefer finishing something before releasing it. Don't worry, story is being written and updates will happen.

Plot is happening in this story soon though. I can usually crank out a few chapters in one go. I just have to get in the mood.

:::::::::::::::::::

QoTD: So a trailer for the new Pokemon game came out. You know how Nintendo is, they release an insane amount of things. What are you most excited about that was shown in the new trailer? (If you don't know which one I'm talking about, it was released on June 5th)

Reviews-

_Wolfwhisker of Something_\- In Sun Shadow's explanation, it said that Sun Shadow lead a group of cats from the clans away from the clans and ran into the tribe before it was as it is now. Let's assume two things. One, some of the cats had kits or their siblings has kits and they tagged alone. Two, some of these lines are exceptions and they're not actually blood related. It's very possible that when Sun Shadow showed up, some cats without blood ties to any particular sacred cat (I regret calling them that now, just means historically significant figure who lives in the Astral Plane) just decided to claim kinship. I thought through the Sun Shadow part but not the other ones. Whoops. Thanks for catching that. Let's say one of Grey Wing's kits tagged along with Sun Shadow, Shattered Ice had some kits, one of Moth Flight's kits had kits who went, and Riverstar had some kits. Lightning Tail and Dappled Pelt have no kin anymore (Lightning Tail's sister Acorn Fur is a medicine cat and agreed never to have kits while Dappled Pelt is also a medicine cat and has no siblings to have kits) but they are significant. Some cats without strong blood ties just decided to create a line after them.


	17. Chapter 17

Crane's Wing padded through the thin forest with Jayfeather at his side, pelts barely brushing so Crane's Wing could guide him without being too forceful. Just ahead of them, Lynx's Roar and Lionblaze padded side by side with Dovewing walking behind them with her ears pricked for the sound of any cats approaching.

Around the group, other fifteen lines amassed, walking in one large group behind Lunar Sigil. Crane's Wing could feel the tension in the air. He glanced at Jayfeather in concern. He knew Jayfeather could sense emotions but he wasn't sure how it worked with so many cats around. Most of the younger cats were probably dead afraid right now and the older ones were at least nervous. Jayfeather's face remained neutral though, not betraying any of his own thoughts.

Crane's Wing turned his attention back to himself. _I don't know how I feel._ He had been mentally preparing himself for this for moons, ever since Cloud sent him that first dream, but he had still thought he had more time. _Maybe if we had traveled a bit more quickly we would have gotten here in time to train the tribe properly. I don't know if we're strong enough to make it._

Crane's Wing's confidant stride faltered slightly and it took all of his willpower to just put one paw in front of the other. Jayfeather leaned his head over, gently rubbing his cheek on the other tom's shoulder. "Calm down. Everything's going to be fine."

"Says you," Crane's Wing grumbled. "You've already died before and you know you're going right back up to the Astral Plane when you die. The rest of us actually have to fear for our lives."

Jayfeather's whiskers twitched. "Losing everything makes everything you regain that much more important."

Crane's Wing blinked, somewhat surprised by Jayfeather's insight. _I've never really thought about it like that._

"We're going to converge in a few dozen fox lengths," Dovewing announced and Crane's Wing sensed several cats freeze but they all just kept padding onward. After maybe half the distance Dovewing had said, Lunar Sigil rose his tail, signalling the tribe to stop.

Now that his own tribe had stopped walking, Crane's Wing could hear the other tribe's pawsteps. He shuffled his paws, feeling nervous energy rise as everything became that much more real. _By the stars, I could die right now._ He looked up to the sky, wanting to send out a prayer, but the cat his bloodline worshipped was standing right beside him rather than up in the night sky. Crane's Wing felt a fierce sense of protectiveness for Jayfeather. _If I don't walk away from here alive, I'm making sure Jayfeather is._

Ahead, Crane's Wing could see pelts shifting between the trees. His belly turned to stone when he saw the large black figures and thin red frames walking beside the colorful pelts of cats. Crane's Wing swallowed. _Cloud was right… They have foxes and badgers with them._

The opposing tribe lined up facing Crane's Wing's tribe staring down their foes. The lines were clearly intimidated but didn't falter.

A dark brown tabby tom stepped out in front of his tribe to speak with Lunar Sigil before the two tribes. He smirked. "Hey there."

Lunar Sigil dipped his head. "Hello. It's an honor to finally meet another tribe after all these season cycles."

The tabby tom scoffed. "Can't say the same. I searched far and wide for your tribe. Thought I'd be a bit more impressed."

"We of the Tribe of Sacred Lines are no warriors," Lunar Sigil said. "We are more thinkers than fighters. I'm the tribe shama Lunar Sigil. I don't want our tribes to fight. My tribe's purpose is to remember catkind's history. I'm sure there's a lot you could share with us."

The tabby tom scoffed again. "I'm the Black Spot. Your tribe… It's pathetic. Remembering and learning instead of training for battle, worshipping the heroes of history instead of the truly powerful, it's all so pitiful."

Lunar Sigil's eyes narrowed. "I fully understand we're not very strong but strength isn't everything."

"Which is why you need to be wiped out," Black Spot said. His eyes gleamed. "My tribe worships the black spots in the night sky, the void where the light of no stars can touch. Only the most powerful, most dark cats and beasts can go there. You're tribe… you worship the light that lays beyond the stars' reaches. Bah, any cat who proved himself worthy in the universe's eyes is a fool for using his power for something… selfless."

"You take that back," Roaring Tiger snarled. Lunar Sigil waved his tail for silence.

"Make me," Black Spot taunted. He tossed his head over his shoulder casually. "That one dies first! Whoever rips his tail off leads he raid to hunt down the kits."

Excited yowls of cats, barks of foxes, and chuffs of badgers filled the forest. Jayfeather's eyes widened and he took a step back. Crane's Wing frowned. "What's the matter?"

"These cats… these animals… They're so brutal," Jayfeather murmured. He shut his eyes and shook his head as if he was trying to shake off all the emotions he was surely sensing.

"Tribe of Darkest Void!" Black Spot called. "This is our first battle to wipe out the remains of the original tribe. Attack!"

"Wait!" Lunar Sigil protested. "We can still-"

Lunar Sigil was cut off by Frozen Earth running forward and grabbing him by the scruff, pulling him away from Black Spot's attack. Crane's Wing bunched her muscles to rush in to help but his view was blocked by a cat appearing in front of him, a black and white tom with a malicious sneer on his face. "The name's Coil. Remember it in the afterlife."

Crane's Wing shoved Jayfeather away from him just before Coil tackled him. Nearby, Crane's Wing was vaguely aware of his friends who had been standing around him being pulled into their own fights.

From beneath Coil, Crane's Wing reached up with his forepaws and hindpaws, raking his claws down Coil's shoulders and thighs. The tom grunted in pain but just responded by digging his claws into Crane's Wing's chest. Crane's Wing snapped at his foe but none of his bite's made contact.

Coil suddenly let out a yowl and reeled slightly which gave Crane's Wing the opportunity to shove Coil off of him. Back on his feet, he saw that Jayfeather had Coil's tail in his mouth. He spat it out and, Coil still distracted, reared up to swipe Coil in the face. Being blind, he missed several times but his claws eventually found Coil's vulnerable ears, shredding them, before raking down to his eyes.

"You piece fox dung!" Coil hissed. Somewhere nearby, one of the foxes gave an offended bark. Coil rolled his eyes as blood dripped into them. "Sorry. Mouse dung."

Crane's Wing ran at the tom and threw himself on his back, forcing his legs to give out under him and giving Jayfeather full access to all the vulnerable points on his body. Clawing with the precision that only a medicine cat could have, Jayfeather ripped Coil's cheek open and bit down on his bleeding ears while clawing at his neck with a hindpaw.

Satisfied that their enemy was beaten, Crane's Wing got off him and Jayfeather backed away. Crane's Wing opened his mouth to congratulate his friend but was cut off by a yowl from Jayfeather. A moment later, his eyes fell on a red figure behind Jayfeather pulling on his tail.

Jayfeather flipped onto his back and raked his hind claws on the fox's face, forcing the creature to release his tail when it yelped in pain. Jayfeather got back to his paws quickly and began swiping at its face.

"Jayfeather, that's a fox," Crane's Wing warned, running up to help him.

"I know. I'm blind, not noseless," Jayfeather responded. The fox snarled and snapped at him, teeth meeting one of Jayfeather's forepaws. The medicine cat hissed in pain. Crane's Wing crouched and took a flying leap like a ThunderClan cat, laning square on the larger animal's face. Using all four paws, he began clawing up the fox's face the best he could before scrambling onto his back to bite the base of his tail.

The fox wasn't stupid though. Releasing Jayfeather, the fox through its weight to the side, sending Crane's Wing into the ground and the fox on top of him. Not knowing what was going on, Jayfeather looked around blindly. The fox lashed out with a paw and knocked his legs out from under him.

"How is a fox so good at fighting?" Crane's Wing hissed as he struggled under the weight of the fox.

To the two grey toms' surprise, the fox grinned like a cat and spoke. "Don't look down on we foxes. Most lone foxes are too skinny to learn to fight properly but we pack animals know our stuff. Now quit using kit moves and give me a real fight!"

Using the fox's voice to find its location, Jayfeather ran at the exposed underbelly of the fox and began running his claws down it. The fox yelped and got up, freeing Crane's Wing from under him, and took a few steps back.

"Quit going for all the soft spots!" the fox snarled, lifting a paw to put pressure on his bleeding wound. "You're going to make be bleed out or some dung like that before the best part of the battle starts!"

"That's the point," Jayfeather said and Crane's Wing shot off, looping around the fox to distract him and give Jayfeather the chance to strike again. The fox wasn't about to fall for the same trick again though and feigned at Crane's Wing before whipping around to smack Jayfeather with its large tail and snapping at Crane's Wing's flank.

Hissing in pain, Crane's Wing backed up and ran towards Jayfeather, bumping him with his shoulder to let him know where he was. Crane's Wing kept running and, making sure Jayfeather was following, darted up a tree.

The pair stopping on one of the lower branches that seemed strong enough to hold their weight, Crane's Wing peered down at the fox. The fox looked angry, jumping up and snapping its jaws at the two cats but unable to jump nearly high enough to even brush their dangling tails.

"Mousehearts!" the fox snarled. He glanced over his shoulder. "Hey! I need some badgers over here to knock these cats down."

Not even a heartbeat later, a heavy badger lumbered over and rammed its weight into the base of the tree. Luckily, Crane's Wing had chosen a thick tree and the attack did little to unbalance him or Jayfeather. The toms just dug their claws into the bark and sat tight.

"This is a waste of time," the badger growled to the fox after a few more attempts. "Just leave them for some cats. You know they climb."

"Fine," the fox said. He looked up at the two cats, suddenly seeming very sentient to Crane's Wing, and glared. "The heartbeat you two get down from there, I'm ripping your pelts off."

Crane's Wing let out a breath of relief as he watched the fox and badger run back onto the battlefield but froze when he saw the chaos around them. Just in the clearing where he and Jayfeather had been fighting, a few cats' bodies could be seen. Crane's Wing's eyes widened. _That's Jaguar's Tail! And Chalk. Oh, Arkose… I never even got to talk to you since coming back._

Beside him, Crane's Wing could feel Jayfeather shaking slightly. He shot him a concerned glance. _Jayfeather doesn't know what's happening on the battlefield… I don't think I've ever seen him scared before._ "What is it?"

"Black Spot," Jayfeather murmured. "I can sense his power. It's like… like the force that kept me from properly being reborn as Jayfeather."

"The one that locked you in the fog realm?" Crane's Wing asked. "The one that caused you to lose your sight?"

Jayfeather nodded. "Maybe… one of the Black Spots- the evil spirits, not the tribe leader- was responsible for that. This feeling I have… It's the same one I got when I wandered into the Dark Forest as an apprentice. That cat is bad news."

"I think we already knew that," Crane's Wing said. He flexed his lean muscles a few times, itching to at least be moving. He closed his eyes and turned his head, not wanting to watch his tribemates getting killed. "I wish we could be doing something."

"Don't let my blindness keep you from the fight," Jayfeather said. "You don't have to protect me."

"I'm not leaving you," Crane's Wing objected.

"Your loss," a voice from below sneered. Crane's Wing opened his eyes to see a she-cat with a white pelt stained in blood clawing her way up the bottom of the tree. Her eyes gleamed menacingly. "You two are dead!"

With a rush of bravery that he didn't know he had, Crane's Wing jumped clean off the tree, sticking close to the trunk as he fell. The she-cat let out a yowl of surprise as Crane's Wing crashed into her, knocking her off the tree and to the ground. Crane's Wing flailed his legs and his paws found footing on the tree bark. Unsheathing his claws, Crane's Wing caught himself on the tree just a couple taillengths above falling face first into the forest floor. He yowled in pain, claws suddenly holding all of his weight at an unnatural angle. He grit his teeth and glared down at the she-cat below. _I feel like all of my claws have been ripped out._

The white she-cat eyed him in surprise, staring at the bloodstains on the tree bark. "You've got guts."

"You haven't seen anything yet," Crane's Wing growled and prepared to attack but stopped when a cat's yowl sliced through the noise of battle.

"Tribe of the Sacred Lines!" Lunar Sigil yowled. Crane's Wing looked over to see him pinned by Black Spot, pelt stained with blood. "Retreat! Save yourselves! Try to stay together! You know where to-"

Lunar Sigil was cut off by a blow to his throat. Crane's Wing's eyes widened and moved to save his shama but claws on his shoulder stopped him. He turned and saw the she-cat's sharp eyes staring into him. "You're not going anywhere."

Suddenly she was on the ground and Jayfeather was sitting on her back, clawing her ears. She screeched in pain. Crane's Wing reared up and struck her hard, knocking her out. He smiled at Jayfeather. "If we keep using these moves, we might be able to-"

"Double teaming like this takes too long," Jayfeather interrupted. "We need to think of something else."

Crane's Wing's gaze flicked back to the battlefield. The clearing they stood in was only one place the tribes fighting and already it was filled with bodies and the scent of blood. Turning back to Jayfeather, Crane's Wing nodded. "I'm getting you out of here."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Battles are happening! I know Crane's Wing and Jayfeather's battles suck but one of them is blind and the other isn't much of a fighter. Plus, they're cats. It's so hard to write cats. Cats don't have hands and they don't use weapons and they don't have powers.

Sorry that the updates have been late, I get home kind of late from class and I don't like updating late at night so I've just been putting it off. Updates will probably remain not very frequent. Class is very time consuming and I prefer spending my time working on different story (though this one is easy to write. I don't put much effort into the quality of the story). Though it may be time to take a break. I'm taking a comp sci class and writing a Naruto/ DC X-over. I haven't been sleeping well and last night I had a dream about DC stuff then woke up then fell back asleep and had a dream about coding Naruto. That can't be healthy.

I got a year's free subscription to some art software so I might try to make a new cover image for this story or maybe my other ones. I don't know, I'm not artistically talented and it's hard making digital art. I used Google Art for my cover images now and if you've ever used it, you know it's not a real art program.

Reviews-

Last chapter is the first one not to have any reviews. There used to be a ton but now there isn't as many. Y'all know reviews are what fuel authors.


	18. Chapter 18

Paws drumming against the hard stone floor of the twoleg place, Crane's Wing lead Jayfeather limping and bleeding through a wire twoleg fence and into an abandoned twoleg yard. There were stacks of twoleg shiny things and dead monsters scattered around. Crane's Wing leaf his blind friend behind one and pushed him into a seated position, silently hoping that no one would follow their bloodtrail.

"How did you know to come here?" Jayfeather asked through labored breaths.

"This was the Tribe of Stone Forest's old camp," Crane's Wing responded. "Before it was a twoleg junkyard, my tribe lived here."

Jayfeather nodded, not really caring about that at the moment. "There are no herbs here. If any other cats show up, I might not be able to save them."

"If?" Crane's Wing questioned.

Jayfeather's murky blue eyes looked at him gravely. "The blind see so much more than the sighted. Crane's Wing… I don't know if your tribe will make it through this. Lionblaze will be find of course but Dovewing… I don't even know if she'll survive."

Crane's Wing pressed against the identical tom, plunging his face into his shoulder fur more for his own comfort than anything else. "Don't talk like that, Jayfeather. Please… I just want to hold on to hope for a little bit longer."

Jayfeather nodded and swallowed. He lapped at the top of Crane's Wing's head soothingly, like a mother does her kit. Despite seeming pretty insensitive, Jayfeather was a medicine cat and had a caring heart. It was times like this Crane's Wing remembered that. _Not that there's ever been a time quite like this._

After while, Jayfeather turned to Crane's Wing's wounds, putting pressure on the wound on Crane's Wing's flank with his forepaws since it was the worst one. Not able to do much else, Jayfeather lapped at the more shallow wounds, clearing the blood away before it could dry and harden in his fur.

Somehow, Crane's Wing managed to drift off a bit. He hadn't realized how long the battle had stretched. It was near moonhigh when the battle began and nearing dawn when he and Jayfeather had fled the battlefield. They were the first ones there and the sun was already nearly completely up. _I haven't slept in over a full sunrise…_

All his tiredness vanished in a heartbeat though as a cat's voice rang through the junkyard. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

Crane's Wing sat up and he and Jayfeather bounded out of their hiding place. Crane's Wing broke into a purr. "Skua's Wing! Dust! Crest!"

"Crane's Wing!" a pale grey she-cat called. "Jay's Wing!"

Crane's Wing broke into a run and began purring as he pressed against his sister. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

Close to her like this, Crane's Wing could feel her fear. Skua's Wing took a step back and looked up at her brother with sad eyes. "Crane… Kingfisher… Falling Falcon…"

Crane's Wing blinked and let his tail droop, not needing his sister to finish talking to know what happened to his brother and mother. "Lynx? Lionblaze? Dovewing?"

Skua's Wing shrugged and Crane's Wing felt himself beginning to panic.

"What about Coal?" Crane's Wing asked. "I saw Chalk and Arkose but not Claystone."

"I saw Coal err'ler," Dust said. "Think he was fine. Haven't seen him in a bit though."

"Are any of you injured?" Jayfeather demanded, going into medicine cat mode.

Crest shook her head. "No worse than you."

"Are you the only ones here?" Skua's Wing asked.

Crane's Wing nodded. "We left right when Lunar Sigil ordered us to retreat."

"He did what now?" Dust questioned. "I 'idn't 'ear no orders."

Crane's Wing blinked, realizing that most of his tribe probably stayed to fight simply due to a lack of efficient communication. _Oh please let my tribemates be scared enough to flee…_

"Hey!" a voice yowled. "Crane! Skua! Jay! Dust! Crescent! You alright?"

Crane's Wing's ears twitched as he recognized Red Wing's voice. "Red Wing! Coal! You're alright!"

"I smell a nasty infection forming on someone's wounds," Jayfeather said with a sniff. He pointed his tail at Red Wing. "You. Come here. Let me clean your wound."

Red Wing looked a bit confused but stumbled over to the medicine cat to let him look at a belly wound. Meanwhile, Crane's Wing padded up to his friend Coal.

"Coal…" Crane's Wing began, unsure how to tell him he had seen the tom's mother and sister die. "Chalk and Arkose…"

"I know," Coal murmured. "I ran by them on the way here. I saw Quarter Moon, White Feather, Mud Paws, and Rolled Fern too. Maybe some others but I'm not totally sure."

"All of you saw some cat die," Jayfeather said as he cleaned Red Wing's wound. "Don't say anything. That'll just upset you and weaken you when we need to be strong. We'll know who made it or didn't by sunhigh."

"Why sunhigh?" Crest asked.

"Battles typically don't drag out very long," Jayfeather pointed out. "The Tribe of Darkest Void is far stronger than the Tribe of Sacred Lines. The battle definitely won't last until sunhigh. They'll probably have cleared out by then. At sunhigh we should go back to look for survivors and herbs."

"And bodies," Red Wing murmured.

Jayfeather whacked him with his tail. "Keep your spirits high, cat. Low spirits weaken the immune system. This wound is already dirty. You can't afford to let it get infected."

"Right. Sorry."

"We need a healer!" another voice yowled. Crane's Wing recognized the approaching tom as Scorch Eyes, the young head of the Lightning Tail Line.

"Father!" Coal called upon seeing the tortoiseshell tom at Scorch Eyes' side. Claystone had a dark tom leaning on him who Crane's Wing didn't recognize.

"Leaf Shade is bleeding out," Claystone said as the trio reached the junkyard. He set the dark tom down gently. He looked to Jayfeather. "You can heal him, right?"

Jayfeather shrugged hopelessly. "I don't have any herbs but I'll try my best. Leaf Shade, try not to move much, alright?"

"It hurts," the young tom moaned. Crane's Wing was confused for a moment before noticing the shredded remains of his tail and ears as well as the long gash on his flank that could only come from a direct hit from a badger's claws.

Jayfeather looked to Crest and Dust. "Please, look for some cobwebs. If you can't find any, moss will do or anything made of the same thing as twoleg pelts."

Dust and Crest nodded and darted off to do as the medicine cat instructed. Crane's Wing sat back on his haunches, eyes wide and unfocused in shock. His sister sat beside him and laid down, putting her head between her paws. She squeezed her eyes shut as if that would make everything go away.

"Keep yourselves together," Claystone murmured. "We've just got to…"

Crane's Wing let out a long sigh, feeling all his emotions catching up with him. He closed his eyes, feeling them water. _Oh please let everyone be okay. I've already lost my brother and mother… I can't lose Lionblaze, Dovewing, and Lynx's Roar too._

"Is everyone alright?" a voice asked. Crane's Wing's ears pricked, not believing whose voice he was hearing.

"Lionblaze!" Crane's Wing cried joyfully and ran up to his friend. Before he even made it three pawsteps, he noticed Lynx's Roar limping badly and Dovewing struggling to support him. Crane's Wing darted up to the pair and helped Dovewing ease Lynx's Roar into a seated position. "Are you alright?"

"No," Lynx's Roar said bluntly. "I think I'll survive."

"I'm bust with Leaf Shade right now," Jayfeather said, not moving his paws from where they were pressed on Leaf Shade's wound. "When Crest and Dust get back, put dressings on Lynx's Roar's wounds. Have him rest but don't let him fall asleep yet."

"Why?" Lynx's Roar groaned. "Leaf Shade's asleep. I didn't sleep last night."

"If your too badly wounded, you might not wake up if you fall asleep now," Jayfeather told him. "Just wait until I can check on you. Actually, Crest is pretty good with medicine. Have her check you then you can sleep."

"How can you think of sleeping at a time like this?" Coal asked. "Our whole tribe can be dead for all we know!"

Lynx's Roar's eyes flickered with guilt but he didn't give in. "I know. When we ran here, I didn't see any of our own cats. They were all just lying on the forest floor, dead. To be honest, that doesn't sound so bad right now."

Crane's Wing furiously licked the top of his friend's head. "Don't talk like that. You're going to be alright, Lynx's Roar. You're going to be alright and Leaf Shade's going to be alright. Crest and Dust are going to come back and Jayfeather's going to patch you two up and we're all going to be alright."

Lionblaze padded to his friend's side and pressed his muzzle against him, comforting him just as so many cats were right now. Crane's Wing had a feeling that was going to be happening a lot in the near future. Lionblaze hushed him softly. "Calm down. Everything's going to be okay."

Crane's Wing nodded numbly, staring at his unwounded friend. "You're right. Everything's going to be okay… Everything's going to be okay…"

* * *

**Author's Note:** So everyone's dead... Everyone who saw that coming give yourself a pat on the back.

I get a week off from class. I'm out of my second set of prewritten chapters for this story so I'm going to build my backup a bit.

I just published a requested oneshot for Endgame. Honestly, I don't like it but I feel like someone will. Go check it out if you're interested. It's called Sister Light and Brother Dark.

I've decided not to write the sequel I had planned for The Wrong Pawsteps. If anyone is interested in taking it up or just wants to know what my plans were, PM me and we can talk. [Edit: Someone did it but feel free to PM if you just want to talk about the story or anything in general.]

I've decided it's hard writing a lot of different stories at once. I think I'm going to try to tie off any loose ends on my other stories right now. I also thought about taking a short break from this story but I don't think that's going to happen. I have a lot going on but it's not like this story takes up too much time.

Reviews-

_Wolfwhisker of Something_\- Thanks.

_Feathersahde-_ Don't worry, Lionblaze is right here. Also, Solar died forever ago. Lunar dying is new news. Looking forward to those reviews.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note:** Longish AN here. I'd appreciate if you read it but it's not necessary.

I need a break. From Warriors, not from writing. It's been a long time coming.

I'm just not inspired or motivated to write Warriors stuff right now. Honestly, Vision of Shadows is terrible and all the Warriors fanfic on this site is worse. About half way through Dawn of the Clans I realized that the writing style changed and I'm not a fan. On the same hand, I haven't read a high-quality Warriors fanfic (I think most of the reader-base for Warriors are younger people who haven't really learned how to write. Some not all) therefore my standards for my own Warriors stories are pretty low. My standards for a chapter of The Ancient Spirits is around 1,200 words with one read through of editing. Another story I'm working on has at least 12,000 words per chapter and undergoes severe editing and that story is not even up yet. I need to regain my motivation to make this story actually decent. Lately the chapters have been short and forced.

Somewhat related, my brain has been all over the place. For some reason it decided to come up with four stories ideas (that aren't Warriors) in less than a week and I think I want to write them.

I've also got some personal problems I need to deal with and it's kind of killing my mood. How I'm feeling very much affects my writing. Problems got worse a couple weeks ago and I'd considered taking a break from this story then but I didn't. I've been feeling kind of terrible lately and the old depression kicked back in for the first time in a while. Hopefully it'll pass quickly.

Unrelated, I decided not to write a sequel to The Wrong Pawsteps. If anyone is interested in reading the plans I had or writing a sequel themselves, PM me.

Anyway, I'm going to focus on some other stuff for now but hopefully I won't be away from this story for too long. If you think I'm taking too long, let me know. Here's chapter 19.

* * *

Crane's Wing found himself in the fog realm once more. Familiar with the drill, he padded through the haze, letting it part around his form, and found a clearing where a large fox was waiting.

The two just looked at each other. A million thoughts rushed through Crane Wing's head as cat eyes met fox eyes. A feeling of betrayal stung in Crane's Wing's chest. He didn't know why, it wasn't Cloud's fault that the Tribe of Darkest Void had attacked when it had, but Crane's Wing had put his faith in the beast and the worst had happened.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Cloud rasped.

"Why didn't you do something?" Crane's Wing whispered.

"I couldn't. I'm sorry."

"That's no excuse," Crane's Wing hissed, the volume voice rising alongside the fur on the back of his neck. "You should have done something!"

Cloud was lying on his stomach as he usually was with his black paws crossed. He looked down at them and Crane's Wing saw a flash of sorrow in the fox's eyes. He immediately felt guilty. The tribes were the Astral Beasts' legacy. They would do everything in their power to save them. If nothing happened, it was because they couldn't.

Cloud glanced up and Crane's Wing saw so many emotions crashing down on his face. This creature, this legendary creature, suddenly seemed so much more mortal. Physically, he seemed fine, his red pelt was still healthy, his muscles were still strong, but it was clear Cloud was only a shell of his former self. His exterior was all that remained of his past self. Internally, he was torn up, guilt ridden, and grieving.

"Sometimes, as much as we try, we cannot change destiny," Cloud whispered, looking away then dead into Crane's Wing's eyes. The fox's usually sharp and bright eyes were suddenly a murky grey blue like Jayfeather's. Crane's Wing took a step back in surprise.

"You're trapped here," Crane's Wing realized. "Here in the fog realm. Like Jay's Wing was. Jayfeather said while his soul was traveling, a dark power put him here. He lost his eyesight here. Are you…?"

Cloud waved him off with his tail. "Do not fear for my well being. I am an Astral Beast. I will heal with time once I return to the earth or the stars. In the meantime, my power has weakened. My greatest power, the ability to walk in dreams like your friend Jayfeather, is still strong but I cannot do much else. I'm relying on your capabilities and I will help you in anyway I can but all I can do is visit cats in their sleep. I can learn much from that and share what they know with you but not much else. You're on your own."

Crane's Wing nodded numbly, assurance even more shaken. The loss he had just suffered did nothing for his confidence and losing the power of an Astral Beast on his side didn't help.

"I can tell you that the Tribe of Darkest Void has left the forest," Cloud told him after a moment. "I doubt that they will bother searching for survivors."

"Are there any?" Crane's Wing asked. "Other than us I mean. The three, Coal, Claystone, Crest, Dust, Red Wing, Leaf Shade, Skua's Wing, Lynx's Roar, Scorch Eyes, and I all-"

"Count again," Cloud interrupted ominously and Crane's Wing's world went dark.

* * *

Crane's Wing jerked awake with a start. For that blurry moment of confusion upon awakening, he didn't recognize where he was and a half panic began to rise in his chest. A split second later, he recognized where he was. The abandoned twoleg yard.

He was lying uncomfortably on the hard dirt. His sister Skua's Wing was curled up beside him and a tail length away Crane's Wing's friend Coal was sleeping somewhat peacefully. The tom's paws twitched every once in awhile but that was understandable. He had just lost his kin. Bad dreams and restless sleep were expected. _Then again, I have too._

Crane's Wing swallowed as his emotions finally caught up to him. Sure, he had been sad when he had head Falling Falcon and Kingfisher's Wing had died but at the time he had been too upset and stressed from the battle for it to really hit him. _My mother and brother are dead. I finally come back to the tribe and I only see them for a few heartbeats and now they're dead. Oh star cats… They're dead._

Crane's Wing suddenly felt very small and he wanted to wail like a kit but he withheld. As upset as he was, expressing it would make everything that much worse for everyone else. Jayfeather was probably having a hard enough time working on Leaf Shade without having to deal with sensing everyone's emotions. Being loud about it certainly wouldn't help him.

Memory of his dream wormed its way back into his mind and Crane's Wing was suddenly on his paws. In a few quick bounds, he crossed the junkyard and found the corner where Jayfeather was caring for Leaf Shade. Almost immediately, the scent of death hit him like a flash flood.

Jayfeather looked up from the limp form, his blind eyes clouded with sorrow. "He's dead."

Crane's Wing nodded silently and lowered his head. Leaf Shade had been born after he left the tribe so he'd never known him but losing a tribemate was still painful. "Should… should we have a vigil?"

Jayfeather sat back on his haunches. "I don't know. This isn't ThunderClan… I don't know your tribe's traditions but with so many cats lost…"

Crane's Wing nodded silently and settled down beside his look alike. He leaned over, resting his head on the medicine cat's shoulder. He knew Jayfeather didn't really like being touched but he was sure both needed the comfort right now. "What should we do?"

"Now or in general?"

"Both."

Jayfeather was silent for a moment. "You dreamed last night, yes? What did Cloud tell you?"

"... He is trapped in the same place you were."

"The fog realm?"

Crane's Wing nodded. "He's going blind."

Jayfeather frowned. "He can walk in dreams… Everyone can see in dreams. Shouldn't his power…?"

Crane's Wing shrugged. "I don't know. He used to be able to see so much but his power is weakening. He told me that the Tribe of Darkest Void has cleared out of the forest though. We should go look for other survivors."

Jayfeather nodded. "Let us tell our tribe mates about Leaf Shade and have a proper burial first."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I just kind of gave up there at the end. Sorry that I'm taking a break just before things are going to happen. I'll try not to be too long.

Reviews:

_Hillary Clinton_\- Your reviews always crack me up. Unrelated, a few years ago my sister had a dream that you and your husband were plotting to takeover the world. We had a lengthy discussion about it the other day while looking into Bill's impact on America's zoos. Also, tell him that spoons are not the best tool for scooping out eyeballs. Use a spork. The pointy parts make the initial eyeball entry easier.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note:** I'm back.

Me: I've had enough of a break. I'm going to work on The Ancient Tribes.

*Looks at folder that contains all stories*

*clicks on folder to a different story*

Me Two Weeks Later: Time to finally do this.

*looks at plans*

*looks at blank page*

*is intimidated*

Me: … Do I put a disclaimer on this story? Did I put it in the summary? What was happening? How do I start this? Who is Lynx's Roar? Did I kill anyone important?

*decides to write internal dialogue about when you forget what's happening in your own story instead of reading my notes*

WARNING: DEAD CATS. I tried to avoid gore though as much as I'd like to write it. Onto the chapter!

* * *

Crane's Wing padded from the hard, grey streets of the twoleg place to the soft earth of the forest he always believed would protect his tribe. It used to always carry the scent of prey and his kin but now all that wafted through the air was the thick stench of blood and death.

Trailing behind Crane's Wing was his sister Skua's Wing the head of the Rock line Claystone, Claystone's son and Crane's Wing's friend Coal, the fiery tom Red Wing who Crane's Wing had recently met, the odd she-cat Dust, Dovewing of ThunderClan, Scorch Eyes who was the head of the Lightning Tail line, Lionblaze the warrior, Jayfeather the medicine cat, Crane Wing's friend Lynx's Roar, and the quiet cat Crest.

The first body they found was a young tom from Dust's line, the Shattered Ice line. Dust said his name was Mud Paws in recognition of Shattered Ice's skill underground. She stopped to grieve him and the patrol moved on, letting her mourn him in peace.

The clearing where Jayfeather and Crane's Wing fought was close to the twoleg place and the pair were soon face with the cats they had left behind.

Claystone found his sister, Arkose, and gave a yowl of despair.

Jayfeather tripped over Swallow Flight, the easygoing head of the Jay's Wing line. He somehow seemed to recognize the cat at his paws was his kin no matter how distant and lowered into a crouch to bury his muzzle into the black pelt of the tribecat.

Lynx Roar found Jaguar's Tail and Leopard's Paw, two young littermates from his line. His expression became one of shock.

Red Wing found Stone Talon, a she-cat from the Grey Wing line. He sat down beside her abruptly, eyes wide and numb.

His tribemates and clanmates just kept finding bodies. Crane's Wing lowered his head, feeling a tightness in his throat. He swallowed, trying to ignore the scent in the air, and padded out of the clearing. He wanted to find the place where this slaughter began.

A once white pelt was stained with such a deep red that it wasn't even recognizable. Crane's Wing felt bile rising and forced himself to look away from Lunar Sigil's body. The Tribe of Darkest Void had torn him apart.

Crane's Wing padded away and tripped over Roaring Tiger, the head of the Lion's Roar line. _He was so strong, so passionate. He died trying to save Lunar Sigil even though he didn't always respect him like he should…_

Crane's Wing felt a wave of anger at himself. _I should have stayed._

"Crane…" a voice cracked.

Crane's Wing jerked his head up and looked around. There was no one there. _Maybe it was just the wind._

"Crane… Crane's Wing…"

The voice was barely more than a whisper but Crane's Wing was certain he heard it this time.

"Crane's Wing," the voice rasped. Crane's Wing pricked his ears until his eyes fell on a bloodied brown she-cat.

"Falling Tree!" Crane's Wing and ran up to the she-cat's side. "By the sacred cats, Falling Tree!"

She gave a soft purr but it broke in her throat and she coughed. Blood trickled out of her mouth. Crane's Wing frowned, eyes round with worry. He was no medicine cat but he knew that cats didn't just cough up blood. Even if they're dying. _Oh StarClan. She's going to die._

"Jayfeather!" Crane's Wing yowled desperately. "Jayfeather!"

Falling Tree silenced him by weakly reaching out but her touch fell short. "Don't worry, Crane's Wing. My time has come and I will join the Tribe of the Sky gladly."

"Falling Tree…"

"I heard Black Spot call for retreat," Falling Leaves told him. Her voice was quiet. So quiet he had to lean down to listen. "I think… I think they raided the camp. I would tell you not to go there but if there's even a chance…"

Crane's Wing nodded. "I will," he promised.

She smiled. "Thank you."

Her breathing suddenly slowed. The world went white around Crane's Wing and the corners of his vision went blurry.

"I heard… I heard Black Spot tell Arch- his second in command- that they were heading back home to commune with their ancestors and find the last tribe," she told him. "Crane's Wing… You have to get away."

"You want me to run?" Crane's Wing asked. He wanted to do nothing more. He knew he was a coward at heart and he knew it but the shred of loyalty in his blood told him he should stay and fight. _Stay and die._

"Run to the mountains. And the lake that reflected the first dawn," Falling Tree whispered. "Save them. Save our kind."

Falling Tree's flank heaved and her breathing came to an end. Crane's Wing sank onto his belly and shut his eyes. _Falling Tree… I couldn't save our tribe but I'll save the clans and the Tribe of Rushing Water. I promise._

* * *

**Author's Note:** It hasn't even been a month and I got no reviews on the last chapter so I don't even feel that bad.

I'm thinking about rewriting this story. The Ancient Spirits and The Ancient Tribes were honestly terribly written. There is a lot of lore and plot but I executed it very poorly. I know I can do much better. I've written much better. Knowing me, I'll change my mind or decide it's too much work but for now I'm going to just keep writing this story like I have been and keep a rewrite in mind. I have vague plans and I'll change it pretty drastically. If there's anything you want to see, let me know and I'll work it into the plans if I do end up doing it. (I've realized I cannot commit to anything or I'll never do it so no guarantees).

I've gotten kind of tired of writing this story but I'll finish it for sure. I want to work on something new (which I have done but that doesn't stop me from feeling unproductive by not finishing this) and the idea of a rewrite is exciting but I don't feel like dropping this story off. This'll be a rough draft of sorts I guess. It's written like one anyway. I don't really do that much editing on this story but I edit the heck out of others.

Maybe I'll write a oneshot. Any requests? I'm not really feeling Warriors right now but I need to get back in the zone.

I finished my summer class. Got to be on the news. The camera was focused on me for about two seconds. I waved my hands around. It was cool. And I got a free laptop.

I've got a week off then school starts. I didn't do any of my summer homework though. It's not hard, my attention span has just severely dwindled from not doing six hours of notes every week. I'm taking two easy classes though so hopefully I'll get some free time to get stuff done.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note:** Another chapter? The next day?! I dropped my motivation when I got lost on the road of life and it blew away in the wind. When I found it, a cat used it as bedding for her kits and by the time I got my hands on it again, it was kinda wet and it had started smelling like stinky RiverClan. I didn't really want to pick it up again but surprisingly Brokenstar of all people picked it up for me and washed it off. He ran off with it for a little bit but I ignored him for awhile and he ended up giving it back so we've got a chapter.

* * *

Crane's Wing's lithe body shook with despair as he crouched over the kind hearted she-cat who had just died at his paws. He gave a low moan but was interrupted by a loud yowl before he could begin grieving.

Crane's Wing quickly got to his paws. _That was Lion's Roar!_

He ran in the direction of the yowl and broke into a clearing where he was met by a grey pelt too mangey to be a cat's. _Coyotes!_

He had known that the canine creatures lingered at the edge of the tribe's territory but they rarely ventured into the protected forests. _Not that they're protected anymore._

There were three of them and the largest of the pack had a cat in its mouth dangling by the leg. Lynx's Roar screeched and coiled up to box the coyote in the nose and rake his claws over its muzzle. The coyote yelped and dropped Lynx's Roar. The golden tom hissed before limping away but the other two coyotes lunged.

And Crane's Wing froze.

His best friend was being chased by coyotes and Crane's Wing _froze_. Under his ice cold fear, he felt a wave of loathing towards himself. _Why did Solar Sigil choose me all those moons ago? If he hadn't, I would have been dead with my tribemates and some other cat would be here to save Lynx's Roar but I'm…_

There was a loud battlecry as Lionblaze launched himself into battle. He landed square on a coyote's face and furiously shredded it's ears and smothered its nose with his belly fur, cutting off its air supply.

Lionblaze was everything Crane's Wing was not. He was a fighter, completely confidant and had no shortage of bravery. He was bold, never shy or doubtful of himself. He was a chosen cat of a prophecy and he deserved it.

Still, Crane's Wing felt shame when it was him who drove the coyotes. He felt even worse when Lionblaze asked him, "Are you okay?"

"F-fine," Crane's Wing stuttered before remembering his tribemate. "Lynx's Roar!"

The tom was lying on the forest floor but he had himself propped up on his paws. He grimaced as he looked at his leg. It was bleeding blady, oozing blood into the forest floor. "I'm fine. I was just being stupid… They were breaking sticks and stuff when they were walking and I thought it was another cat…"

"Don't worry," Lionblaze told him and helped him up. "Let's get you to Jayfeather and get that leg checked out."

Crane's Wing hurried to his other side to support him. "Sorry I didn't help," he murmured.

Lynx's Roar blinked at him in surprise. "What for? I know you're not much of a fighter."

"I know but-"

Lynx's Roar lapped his shoulder fur in comfort. "Don't worry, Crane. Lionblaze was here and I'm fine."

Crane's Wing sighed and nodded but his feelings didn't fade. "Right. Let's get you to Jayfeather."

* * *

The survivors regrouped at the abandoned part of the twoleg place where they had rested before. There was a heavy aura over them like a storm cloud swelled with rain that refused to fall. Seeing all that death wasn't easy.

"We went to the old camp," Red Wing spoke up, breaking the silence. "There… All… The Tribe of Darkest Void killed all of then. The kits, the queens, the elders… They're all dead in their dens."

"Do you think any of them… Do you think any of them died in their sleep?" Skua's Wing asked.

Red Wing paused and shook his head with certainty. "They… I don't want to talk about it."

"We need to return to the clans," Crane's Wing announced. "The Tribe of Darkest Void wants to wipe out all other tribes and the clans are technically our descendants so…"

"We should go to the Tribe of Rushing Water first," Jayfeather grunted. He had his paws pressed against Lynx's Roar's bleeding leg, trying to get the dressing to stick. "They're in immediate danger."

"We need everyone if we're going to fight them," Lionblaze pointed out. "The clans need to unite like we did before… Maybe even with the fifth clan. I don't know if the tribe would be willing to move but…"

"We should bring SkyClan's leader and Stoneteller to the Gathering," Dovewing said.

Jayfeather nodded. "Good idea. If my memory serves me right, both the mountains and the gorge are in the same direction and the gorge should only be half a moon away from the lake. We could get everywhere we need to be in one fell swoop."

"Eh… I don't think I can travel that far. Sorry," Lynx's Roar apologize.

"Some cats should stay behind anyway," Claystone said. "This is our home and we live for tradition but we need to protect it unlike we ever have."

"I say as many cats as possible stay," Lionblaze said. "We'll travel faster and the cats here will be stronger."

"Crane's Wing?" Scorch Eyes asked.

"Hmm?"

"What do we do?"

Crane's Wing blinked at the line head. "What?"

Lionblaze shouldered him. "You are the chosen cat of the tribe. You make the decision. What do we do?"

Crane's Wing's lips parted and his mouth suddenly went dry. He swallowed and squared his shoulders. "The three, Scorch Eyes, and Claystone will come with me to get Stoneteller and the leader of SkyClan."

Claystone gave a short nod. "Smart. The tribe will remember Rock so they'll listen to me and the clans might remember Lightning Tail so they'll listen to Scorch Eyes."

"Um… right," Crane's Wing said. _I so did not think of that._ "Red Wing, you're in charge of all the cats here."

"Me?" Red Wing squeaked.

Crane's Wing nodded, hoping he wouldn't regret this. He didn't know Red Wing and the tom seemed pretty brash but capable. "In the clans, there is a leader and a deputy. Skua's Wing will support you. You guys… I hate to ask you but can you bury the bodies? The coyotes will come back…"

Red Wing nodded. "I understand."

"And take care of Lynx's Roar," Crane's Wing added.

"Of course," Red Wing said and gave a broken smile. "Everything will be great by the time you come back, Crane's Wing. You'll see."

"I'll trust you on that one."

* * *

**AN:** You know that feeling you write plans and then you look at them five months later and realize that they're brilliant and you match them to the letter when you finally reach that part of the story? Yeah, me neither. I totally changed so much. Plans are cool but I really feel like I'm not writing them well. I know I can do a lot better.

I'm feeling fantastic, by the way. Writing spirit slowed down halfway through the chapter but I'm still doing better.

I made a new cover image for this story (if you like the old one better, let me know. The old one is still the cover image for The Ancient Spirits. If you guys say you like this one, I'll change the one for the Ancient Spirits too. If you don't, I'll change this one back. If you're on mobile, I don't think you can see it.). This was my first time using an online drawing program (I got a free subscription to like twenty art related apps for a year) and I can barely draw in the first place. I usually make my cover images but I don't draw them. Hope this one is alright. I looked at some of the ones for other Warriors stories and most of them are just pictures. The site is called fanfic. People really should be showing off their art skills no matter how limited as their cover images.

About the AN at the top of the page, Brokenstar really did get me my motivation back. I miraculously remembered that he had siblings in the middle of the day and then my brain was like what if Brokenkit's sisters got absorbed into him. Weird, I know, but I've wanted to write a serious story with an odd idea for a while and I feel like what I have is a good way to do that. Still hashing out the plans but hopefully I'll write it and turn it into something good.

Reviews:

_Darth Jay_\- I remember you mentioning your Gravity Falls story. I feel like a lot of people experience the same trouble with writing. I personally usually wait awhile before uploading a story because I know I'll always end up wanting to rewrite it.

_Feathershade-_ Thanks for all your reviews! Thanks so much. Yeah, I'm feeling better. A lot better. And thanks for agreeing to write the sequel to The Wrong Pawsteps. The review that stated this is by a guest so PM me if you do actually want to do it (because I just want to make sure it was you who wrote the review) and we can talk it out. I've taken requests twice and both times the requesters were terrible at making it an easy write. One of them wanted unrealistic things and the other refused to beta or give me anything more than a one sentence prompt. You're doing me a favor and I want this to be easy on you and a good read. If you don't want to, that's perfectly fine. If no one adopts my child, I'll finish raising him (her? it? Stories don't have genders) eventually.


	22. Chapter 22

Tired paws. Dusty pelts. Rumbling bellies.

That was traveling. Only it wasn't as fun as Crane's Wing remembered.

Crane's Wing had spent a decent portion of his life traveling and the three had been on more than their fair share of trips. Claystone and Scorch Eyes… Not so much.

The first moon had been rough but three moons later, they were traveling as well as Crane's Wing. Well, almost.

"If my memory serves me right, we should be nearing SkyClan's border," Jayfeather announced.

"Here?" Scorch Eyes questioned. "This place seems like nothing special."

"Well, we can ask once we find them," Jayfeather shot back. Crane's Wing sighed. Early on they had realized that the two sharp-tongued toms didn't exactly get along. He really wished that they could just let the two have their space but that was difficult while traveling.

"I can hear cats up ahead," Dovewing reported. "Smell for a border. I think a patrol is coming to mark it."

"Over here," Claystone called. He sniffed. "This is definitely a border marking."

Crane's Wing padded over and sniffed. "Yeah. You're right."

"Hey!" a forigen voice called. "What are you doing at our border?"

Crane's Wing looked up to see a grey and white tom standing a few tail lengths away. Behind him were two more toms and a she-cat. _A proper patrol._

Jayfeather stepped forward. "Are you SkyClan?"

"What of it?" the tom demanded.

Jayfeather waved his tail loosely, gesturing to his travel mates. "I am Jayfeather of ThunderClan. These are my clanmates Lionblaze and Dovewing. This is Crane's Wing and these two are line heads from the Tribe of Sacred Lines."

"I'm Claystone," Claystone greeted, "of the Rock Line."

"Scorch Eyes," Scorch Eyes stated. "Lightning Tail Line."

The lead tom's whiskers twitched. "I am Waspwhisker. These are my clanmates Hawkwing, Rileypool, and Blossomheart."

Rileypool waved his tail. "Hi! Are you guys really from ThunderClan? Do you know Ravenpaw?"

Dovewing perked up. "Ravenpaw? Yeah, we visited him about six seasons ago."

"Rileypool, don't get friendly with them," Hawkwing growled. "We don't know they're really from ThunderClan."

"Hawkwing. Their names are Jayfeather, Dovewing, and Lionblaze," Rileypool deadpanned. "No nonclan cat has a name like that."

Hawkwing huffed and looked away. "What are you cats doing here?"

"We need to speak with your leader," Jayfeather said. "Her name is Leafstar, right?"

Waspwhisker nodded. "We can take you to her. Don't try anything on our territory."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Jayfeather said levelly. Crane's Wing fell in step beside him, flanks barely brushing so the older tom could guide him into SkyClan territory.

* * *

SkyClan's camp was a gorge. A dry gorge. Not the place Crane's Wing would have picked to build a camp if he was a clan leader but he didn't say anything.

Hawkwing, Rileypool, and Blossomheart wandered off and Waspwhisker lead the traveling cats to a den sticking out of the rocky walls.

"Leafstar, Sharpclaw," Waspwhisker called. "You have visitors."

A cream and brown tabby stuck her head out of the den and jumped down to the ground followed by a dark ginger tom with green eyes. Scorch Eyes's eyes narrowed. "I thought they'd be more impressive."

Claystone slapped him with his tail.

Jayfeather stepped before the group and dipped his head respectively. "Leafstar, Sharpclaw."

Sharpclaw blinked. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I am Jayfeather of ThunderClan," Jayfeather introduced.

"ThunderClan?" Leafstar questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"Long story," Jayfeather said.

"Really long," Crane's Wing butt in. "It technically goes back to the beginning of time."

Jayfeather put his tail in his face, quieting him. "Do you have a medicine cat? They should be here for this."

Leafstar nodded. "Waspwhisker, can you go get Echosong and Frecklewish?"

"On it," Waspwhisker said and padded off to go get the medicine cats. "Echosong! Frecklewish!"

A pair of she-cats approached. One, a silver tabby, had a look of recognition when she saw Jayfeather. "Jayfeather!"

"Echosong," Jayfeather greeted.

"You two know each other?" Sharpclaw questioned.

Echosong nodded. "Jayfeather is ThunderClan's medicine cat. We shared a dream a moon ago. He let me know that he was coming."

"ThunderClan's medicine cat?" Leafstar echoed. "Why would they send their medicine cat away?"

"I'm also a reincarnation of the cat who helped form the clans," Jayfeather said nonchalantly.

"Who is also one of three cats with the power of the stars in his paws," Lionblaze added.

"The clan can't really argue with us when we say we have something to do," Dovewing said.

Leafstar, Sharpclaw, and Echosong blinked in shock.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" Frecklewish asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm blind," Jayfeather told her.

Sharpclaw blinked rapidly and shook his head before sighing. "And what are you doing here?"

"SkyClan was one of the original five clans, yes?" Crane's Wing said. The SKyClan cats nodded. "Well, the clans were formed by a group of tribecats. And there's currently a group of animals trying to wipe out all tribecats which my extension means you."

Sharpclaw scoffed. "Who would try to kill that many cats? Who can?"

"You would be surprised," Jayfeather muttered.

Claystone padded forward. "I am from the Tribe of Sacred Lines. We were made of fifteen lines, each about the size of a clan. The Tribe of Darkest Void invaded and there are now only nine of us. The four clans have many more cats than you and the Tribe of Rushing Water have terrain advantage but even they don't stand a chance against this tribe. We need your help and we need yours."

"Hundreds of cats reduced to under ten in less time than it takes for the sun to rise after moonhigh," Dovewing added.

Sharpclaw's eyes widened.

Leafstar swallowed. "What do you need us to do?"

"We need you to come with us to one of the clan's Gatherings," Jayfeather said. "We need to unite the clans and the remains of the tribes if we're going to stand a chance here."

Leafstar paused. "I will think about it."

"But-" Crane's Wing protested.

"Rest," Leafstar said. "You have traveled far. Let me consult my senior warriors and I will tell you what SkyClan's choice is."

* * *

**AN:** Didn't know that a gorge has a river in it. I always thought it was just like a small, dry valley. That was really dry. With no river. I don't really remember what SkyClan's camp looks like so bear with me.

Scorch Eyes is loosely based off Sharpclaw. In my head at least. Sharpclaw is ginger and Scorch Eyes has red fur but in my head I picture them both as black furred since the manga is in black and white and that's just how I remember Sharpclaw.

No one said anything about the cover image so I'm going to leave it until I decide I don't like it.

On the first week of my sophomore year of chemistry, my chemistry teacher asked, "What's your favorite clan? RiverClan? ThunderClan?" And I got real excited because I am kind of old to be reading cat books so I have no one to talk to about it. Then he said, "My favorite clan is SkyClan because hashtag loser clan." I was very disappointed. I ended up hating that class. My cousin is a big SkyClan fan though. I think.

Reviews-

_Feathershade-_ PM'd you (or DM. It's called PM on fanfic but it's the same thing). Don't worry about the Ancients/ TWPS mix up.


	23. Chapter 23

SkyClan, Crane's Wing decided, was weird. They let kittypets walk their ranks and sleep with their twolegs at night, they hunted in a place where prey was scarce when there were better places, and rules were far less ridgid. Still, they were friendly. Friendlier than the clans.

Upon their arrival, Hawkwing showed them to their temporary dens and allowed them to hunt and eat. Scorch Eyes and Claystone were a bit off put by the way clans ran but finally being back in a camp was a comfort to Crane's Wing. Moons of travel was rough and he was more than happy to be in a home again, even if it wasn't his own.

Crane's Wing was sharing a black bird with Jayfeather when Sharpclaw came to tell them Leafstar's decision. Exchanging a glance with the blind tom, Crane's Wing swallowed the last of his prey and padded to meet with the SkyClan cats.

Crane's Wing, Jayfeather, Lionblaze, Dovewing, Claystone, and Scorch Eyes met at the base of Skyrock. Leafstar, Echosong, Frecklewish, Waspwhisker, and Billystorm sat on their haunches, waiting.

"We have come to a decision," Sharpclaw announced, stating the obvious.

"I will come to your Gathering," Leafstar told them. "Sharpclaw will stay behind to watch over the clan. I do not guarantee that SkyClan will fight but I will at least listen to the other clan leaders."

Lionblaze dipped his head. "That is all we ask."

"How long will you be gone?" Billystorm asked.

"We need to visit the tribe first," Jayfeather said. "A trip there and back from the lake is about half a moon. It shouldn't take much longer for us to travel there from here. It all really depends on if we make it in time for the next Gathering."

"So like a moon or two, assuming everything goes well," Dovewing said.

Leafstar nodded. "That is… satisfactory. It would be good to see old friends."

Jayfeather blinked his blind eyes. "Has StarClan told you of what happened to Firestar?"

Leafstar nodded solemnly. "Yes, he visited me in a dream once. Sandstorm is still well, right?"

Jayfeather nodded. "Retired but well."

"What about this tribe?" Billystorm asked. "Are they dangerous?"

Crane's Wing shrugged. "Not really. I mean, a cave guard could probably push us off the cliffside but I don't think they'd want to."

Leafstar gave a curt nod. "And you say the clans are descended from these mountain cats?"

Dovewing waved her tail loosely in Lionblaze's direction, prompting him to speak. Afterall, Lion's Roar was the only one around when the future clan cats left their mountain home.

"Right," Lionblaze confirmed. "Clear Sky- er, Skystar- came from the mountains before establishing the first clan in the forest."

Leafstar gave a low purr. "SkyClan has lived in many places. The mountains, the forest, the gorge…"

"And the lake," Jayfeather added. "The mountain cats lived by the lake before leaving for the mountains."

"The four clans have come full circle," Leafstar mused. "It is only right that a SkyClan cat does too."

"Don't get caught up in the past," Sharpclaw growled. "You belong here."

"Of course," Leafstar said, "but our distant kin need us too."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Changed the cover image back. Decided I didn't like it.

So I haven't really been into Warriors much lately. Vision of Shadows was honestly terrible and I hated it. But, story time. I went to the bookstore yesterday. To my embarrassment, all the series that I read were in the children's section, including Warriors. There is nothing more embarrassing than picking books with some kid less than half your height picking books right next to you. Then I saw Crowfeather's Trial. Then I put it down because I could get Tigerstar's Shadow for four dollars less but point is I remembered that I like Warriors. When I got home, I was on chapter 2 of Redtail's debt when my writing motivation came back.

I've got like three Warriors stories stirring around in my mind, including a rewrite of this one because this one sucks, so I'm going to try to wrap it up soon.

So at the bookstore, I learned two things. One is that there is now a new arc of Warriors called Broken Code. Two is that the manga has now been printed in color BUT I think that additional pages have been written. Can anyone confirm that there is a difference between the black-and-white manga and the color manga? I want to know if I need to reread it or not.

Sorry these chapters are so short. My attention span has plummeted lately. I'm putting more effort into writing my other stories.


	24. Chapter 24

"What kinds of cats could live in such a horrible place?" Leafstar complained as the group of cats climbed up the stone paths of the mountain.

"Cats scared of twolegs," Jayfeather responded. "Now quit complaining. We're almost there."

Leafstar flicked her ear irritably. "How can you tell? You're blind."

Jayfeather glanced back over his shoulder at the group but didn't say anything. Crane's Wing sighed, wishing Leafstar would have some respect for the prophesized medicine cat. It had been half a moon since the three, Crane's Wing, Claystone, and Scorch Eyes left SkyClan with Leafstar and the group was nearing the Tribe of Rushing Water's cave.

_It's about time,_ Crane's Wing grumbled mentally. _Leafstar's been complaining this whole time. Scorch Eyes won't complain in front of her but he's been so grouchy, grouchier than Jayfeather. And Claystone isn't looking too well. For cats that have never traveled, the mountains aren't a good place to start._

Leafstar flattened his ears, annoyed by Jayfeather's silence. "I smell no scent markers. Are you sure Jayfeather should be the one leading us?"

"Jayfeather knows this place better than anyone," Dovewing said confidently.

"He's even more sure pawed than the rest of us," Lionblaze said as a teasing glint lit up in his eye. "Unlike you, he hasn't stumbled."

Leafstar lashed her tail. "The stone gave out under my paws."

"Right," Lionblaze answered sarcastically.

"You should respect a sacred cat," Scorch Eyes hissed lowly at the SkyClan leader.

Leafstar's eyes narrowed. "And you should respect a clan leader."

"I'm a the head of the line of the sacred cat Lightning Tail and leader of a faction of one of the great tribes," Scorch Eyes growled.

Crane's Wing shouldered his way between the two before they could start fighting. "Keep your pelts on. We'll be in a warm cave soon enough."

"Sooner than you think," Jayfeather said as the land began to plateau under their paws. Crane's Wing gave him a curious glance. Jayfeather angled his ears ahead before yowling. "Night! Over here!"

A familiar black pelt appeared from behind a stone. "Jayfeather? Hey, Scree, Splash. Jayfeather, Lionblaze, Dovewing, and Crane's Wing are back!"

* * *

Night lead the patrol into the cave. If he wasn't so eager to get out of the cold, he would have stopped to laugh at his tribemates and SkyClan's leader's bewilderment at the Tribe of Rushing Water's home behind the waterfall. They looked as surprised as a mouse about to be pounced on.

"Dovewing," a she-cat's voice greeted. Crane's Wing glanced over to see Brook running over with her mate, Stormfur. The two she-cats purred and rubbed heads while Lionblaze butted shoulders with Stormfur.

"It's good to see you," Stormfur greeted. "I trust all is well in the clans."

"Eh…" Lionblaze trailed off waving her tail.

"Not really," Dovewing answered.

"Not in any way," Jayfeather confirmed.

"They're being dramatic," Crane's Wing said, chuckling awkwardly. All three ThunderClan cats turned and stared at him. Crane's Wing flushed and gave his pelt a few embarrassed licks.

"I need to talk to Stoneteller," Jayfeather said. "It's important."

Brook nodded. "I understand. I can go get him for you."

"That would be nice. Thanks."

"I'm going to go find Rain and Pebble," Dovewing said.

"I saw Sheer and Moss on the way in here," Lionblaze added. "I'm going to go say hello."

"You're not going to come speak to this Stoneteller with us?" Leafstar asked, confused.

"Technically only Stonetellers can go into the Cave of Pointed Stones," Crane's Wing told her, "but Stoneteller is on pretty good terms with the medicine cats."

"You should probably come too," Jayfeather told him. "You've got as much of a connection to Cloud as I do. You can probably explain better than me. Leafstar, Scorch Eyes, Claystone… go mingle."

Leafstar looked annoyed at being ordered by who had been decided the patrol's current leader but stalked off. Scorch Eyes looked intrigued while Claystone just looked weary. The two tribe toms padded off to meet their distant, distant kin.

Crane's Wing's eyes met Jayfeather's blind blue ones. "Ready?"

Crane's Wing nodded. "Of course."

Brook ran up to them. "Stoneteller's ready to see you."

Jayfeather dipped his head to her and the pair of grey toms climbed up into the Cave of Pointed Stones.

* * *

Stoneteller was sitting by the pool of water in the cave when the two toms approached. "Jayfeather, Crane's Wing. What can I do for you?"

"We need your help," Jayfeather said.

Stoneteller dipped his head. "Of course the tribe will help in any way it can…"

"No. Like your help specifically," Crane's Wing said. "The tribe doesn't need to do anything yet. We haven't planned that far ahead yet."

Stoneteller blinked in surprise. "You know the Teller of Pointed Stones can't leave the cave."

"This is kind of an emergency," Crane's Wing told. Stoneteller looked to Jayfeather. Jayfeather nodded his confirmation.

"You know that there are three ancient tribes, yes?" Jayfeather asked.

Stoneteller nodded. "The Tribe of Rushing Water, the Tribe of Sacred Lines, and an unknown third."

"Yeah, well, there are now two tribes," Jayfeather said.

"And the third tribe isn't so unknown anymore," Crane's Wing added.

"What do you mean there are only two tribes?"

"The Tribe of Darkest Void wants to destroy all cats descended from the original tribe," Jayfeather explained. "That includes the Tribe of Sacred Lines, ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, WindClan, SkyClan, and your tribe."

"They…" Crane's Wing swallowed. "They already got my tribe. We stood no chance against them. And now they're looking for you and the clans."

Stoneteller's eyes widened in shock. "I'm sorry for your loss. Losses."

"Thank you."

"I assume you want to take a stand?" Stoneteller asked. "All the clans and remains of the tribes against this third tribe?"

"That's the plan," Jayfeather said. "We already got Leafstar. We were going to take her to the Gathering to tell the other leaders. We were hoping you would join us."

"Alright."

_Wait. What?_

Jayfeather and Crane's Wing exchanged a glance.

"But the Teller of Pointed Stones can never leave the cave…" Crane's Wing trailed off, confused.

"This is an emergency," Stoneteller told them. "If I waste time being indecisive, we will be too late."

Jayfeather purred. "I like it when cats are direct."

Stoneteller gave a curt nod. "I'll leave Night in charge. We leave for the clans at dawn."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Honestly, this has become a last ditch effort to just finish the freaking story. I know I complain about it like every chapter but I have a rewrite all planned out because I'm using zero writing skill to write this story and I'm really not happy with it but I want to get it all out, no matter how terrible it is.

I have two new stories. There is a Humor fic for DC Legends of Tomorrow which I doubt will interest you but I've also got a new Warrior's story. It's the same writing style as The Wrong Pawsteps (the complete opposite of this). It's called Broken Nature. It focuses on Brokenkit/paw/tail/star and his sisters (Hopekit and Wishkit, they died at kitting in the books).

Also school started. I hate my school district. We start so early.

Reviews-

_Feathershade-_ Nah, the kid was a boy. He was like six or seven. I think he was looking at Thomas the Tank Engine books. He just ran over to the Warriors section for a little bit.


	25. Chapter 25

It was nightfall of the next full moon when the traveling cats returned to the lake territory. Crane's Wing blamed his lousy luck. His paws prickled with anxiety as he ran through the woodland, making sure that Jayfeather stuck to his side though the blind tom seemed to know his way better than he did.

Leafstar, Stoneteller, Scorch Eyes, and Claystone seemed to understand the ThunderClan cats' urgency and didn't even blink when Lionblaze launched himself onto the tree bridge, waving his tail wildly to signal them to follow. The eight cats ran across the bridge, barely conscious of their own paws, and burst into the clearing on the island where cats of all clans were watching the four clan leaders.

Rowanstar seemed to be wrapping it up. "And I believe that concludes this night's-"

"Wait!" a voice yowled. Dozens of pairs of eyes turned and landed on the newcomers. With a start, Crane's Wing realized it was him who had yowled.

"Cranewing?"

"Hey look, it's Jayfeather."

"They're back!"

"Who are those cats with them?"

"Look at that one's haunches!"

Stoneteller shouldered his way to the front of the group of cats.

"Silence!" he boomed. "We come with the utmost urgency."

"Crag?" Bramblestar questioned, shock in his voice, from his place in front of the cats. "What in StarClan's name are you doing here? The Teller of Pointed Stones can never leave the cave!"

"As I said, this is urgent, old friend," Stoneteller said.

"Did you say Teller of Pointed Stones?" Mistystar questioned.

"What's Stoneteller doing here?" Onestar whispered.

"He interrupted the Gathering," Rowanstar growled.

The gathered cats broke into murmurs and yowls, both confused and surprised. No one who hadn't made the Great Journey had heard of the tribe before and those who had were shocked.

"I suggest one of you join us and explain," Mistystar said.

Crane's Wing looked to Jayfeather only to find the rest of the group looking at him. "Me?"

"You speak with an Astral Beast," Claystone murmured in his ear. "That is more than any shama has ever done. You are the leader of our tribe now."

The realization spread through Crane's Wing's body like lightning through a tree. He hadn't ever considered himself a special cat let alone dreamed that he would be named shama of the Tribe of Sacred Lines. He took a deep breath before shaking out his pelt and walking in front of the cats, joining the leaders at their place overlooking the clans.

"I thought Cranewing left ThunderClan," Onestar said, eyes narrowed.

"He did," Crane's Wing said, voice suddenly becoming more confident than he ever felt. "I am Crane's Wing, shama of the Tribe of Sacred Lines. This is Lionblaze, warrior of ThunderClan, one of the three prophesied cats, reincarnate of Lion's Roar; Dovewing, warrior of ThunderClan, one of the three prophesied cats, reincarnate of Dove's Wing; Jayfeather, medicine cat of ThunderClan, one of the three prophesied cats, reincarnate of Jay's Wing; Scorch Eyes, line head of Lightning Tail's line and descendent of ThunderClan's first deputy; Claystone, head of the Rock line and direct descendant of the first cat; Crag Where Eagles Nest, Teller of Pointed Stones of the Tribe of Rushing Water; and Leafstar, leader of the forgotten fifth original clan from the forest. We bring bearing warning of an oncoming attack that took out a tribe of a dozen times more cats than a clan. I hope you will listen to what we have to say."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Boom.


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note:** Double Update. Make sure you read Chapter 25 before this one.

* * *

Rowanstar, Bramblestar, Onestar, and Mistystar exchanged a glance before looking back to Crane's Wing. "A fifth clan?"

"That's really what you're concerned about?" Crane's Wing questioned, twitching his tail tip in annoyance. "Not the fact that my tribe has been wiped out? Or that Stoneteller has broken tribe law to come here? Or that there's a prophecy you didn't know about and there are three dead cats living amongst you?"

"Don't say it like that, Crane," Jayfeather grumbled.

"You were reborn?" a voice questioned from across the island.

"This is old news, Leafpool!" Jayfeather yowled. "So it SkyClan! And the prophecy, it's come and gone. What's important is that the third tribe is coming to slaughter us."

"There's a third tribe?" Mistystar asked.

Crane's Wing blinked. "You're doing it again. Focus on the slaughter part!"

"Sorry," Bramblestar apologize. "We're just having a hard time wrapping our heads around this. Start from the beginning."

"All the way at the beginning?"

"That would be helpful," Rowanstar said sarcastically.

"Okay, so at the beginning of time there was nothing and then-"

"Not that far," Onestar said.

"This part's important," Scorch Eyes piped up.

"Then there were three beasts," Crane's Wing went on. "Midnight the badger, Cloud the Fox, and Rock the cat. They fought and the universe decided to punish them by creating this world as their prison. Together, they spend the first dawn by the lake. The lake reflected the sunrises and showed all prophecies to come. The universe told them they would be cursed with eternal life and knowledge. More animals would come to this world but the three beasts could do nothing but watch them die as time passed around them.

"The three beasts wanted to unite their species but it went badly so cats, badgers, and foxes became enemies. Rock didn't want to give up though so he created the Tribe of Cats. It was successful so Cloud and Midnight left to do the same with their own species, leaving Rock to lead his tribe.

"However, some cats were angry that a cat like Rock was leading them so they left. The other half followed Rock to the lake where they settled until generations later Jay's Wing lead them to the mountains and Dove's Wing lead them to the field.

"A third cat lead the other half of the original Tribe of Cats to find Cloud. Cloud took them to his favorite place, a valley. The mountains, the field, and the valley all had a place for living cats to commune with the stars, their ancestors, and occasionally the most honored cats in history in the Astral Plane.

"Cloud's tribe, unfortunately, decided to commune with the black spots in the sky and they became corrupt. Now they want to wipe out the remains of the original tribe," Crane's Wing finished.

The leaders were silent. Even the gathered cats below kept their jaws shut.

"That's quite a tale," Mistystar murmured.

"What's this got to do with us?" Rowanstar asked.

Crane's Wing was about to snap but Jayfeather answered before he could.

"The five clans are descended from the Tribe of Rushing Water who are in turn descended from the original tribe," Jayfeather explained. "Rock lead the Ancients to the tunnels then I- Jay's Wing- lead them to the mountains with Dove's Wing breaking off to take half to the field. The first Stoneteller sent a group of cats to the forest where the tribe cats Tall Shadow and Clear Sky formed ShadowClan and SkyClan respectively, Clear Sky's son Thunder formed ThunderClan, and loners Wind Runner and River Ripple formed WindClan and RiverClan. We have rogue blood in our veins but we still have tribe blood and that's more than enough for the Tribe of Darkest Void to target us."

"My tribe and SkyClan are easy pickings as we are isolated," Stoneteller spoke up. "Crane's Wing and the three proposed that Leafstar and I ask you to form an alliance with us. Together, we are strong. Strong enough that some of us may just survive."

"It doesn't sound like you think very highly of us clan cats," some cat in the audience hissed.

"Quiet Berrynose," Bramblestar snapped. "This is Stoneteller. You will respect him."

"Sorry."

"I know it is a tall tale but it is what my tribe has passed down for generations," Claystone said. "Jay's Wing, Dove's Wing, and Lion's Roar's memories only confirm it."

"I still don't follow that part," Harespring, the WindClan deputy, muttered.

"Firestar restored my clan," Leafstar spoke up. "One of the remaining SkyClan cats gave him a prophecy telling him that three of his kin would have the Power of the Stars in their paws. Those three cats are Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing."

Onestar blinked in surprise. "The Power of the Stars?"

"And you were given this to combat this Tribe of Darkest Void?" Rowanstar asked.

"No, we were given it to fight the Dark Forest," Jayfeather said.

"We three have twin spirits, our second spirits giving us some of the power of the Astral Plane and the Astral Beasts," Lionblaze explained.

"After the Dark Forest, we lost our powers for a bit but we found our spirits again," Dovewing added.

"The Astral Beasts did not forsee the third tribe rising like this," Crane's Wing said.

The leaders still looked skeptical. Nervous but still skeptical.

"You have to listen to us," Claystone spoke. "The Tribe of Darkest Void outnumbered a tribe fifteen lines strong. They had cats, badgers, and foxes in their ranks. The battle began at moonhigh and was long since finished by sunrises with only a pawful of survivors. SkyClan and the Tribe of Rushing Water are only as strong as any one clan but they do not have any neighbors to aid them. Please, for your sake and there's, believe us and prepare for battle alongside your kin."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I just want to finish this story. This part is so cool but I've run out of juice. I have rewrite plans and they're so much better.


	27. Chapter 27

Crane's Wing, Dovewing, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather returned to the ThunderClan camp with Stoneteller, Leafstar, Claystone, and Scorch Eyes. Most of the clan was either glaring at the outsiders or rushing ahead to tell their clanmates who hadn't attended the gathering what happened. Thankfully, there were a few cats who they could count on not to turn them away.

Ivypool, Hollytuft, Sorrelstripe, and Fernsong all raced up to the travelers without any hint of malice in their strides. Dovewing purred at the sight of her sister and the three littermates greeted their kin happily with Sorrelstripe pouncing on Lionblaze, Hollytuft licking Jayfeather's ear, and Fernsong winding around Crane's Wing.

"You're back!" Sorrelstripe exclaimed excitedly.

"Sorry to hear about your tribe, Crane's Wing," Hollytuff said.

"It's cool that your leader though," Fernsong said.

"We still have to face the coming threat though," Ivypool pointed out. She looked to Crane's Wing. "Do you have any plans?"

"We're all going to die," Scorch Eyes said and pushed past her. Ivypool flicked her ear in annoyance.

Crane's Wing chuckled softly. "He's like that. Don't worry, we'll work something out."

* * *

The leaders agreed to meet at the island again with their deputies and a few trusted warriors. Leafstar had somehow gotten Sandstorm to help her represent SkyClan while Stoneteller enlisted Tawnypelt and Crowfeather's help to represent the Tribe of Rushing Water. Claystone and Scorch Eyes of course backed up Crane's Wing but surprisingly the three did too. Bramblestar had his deputy Squirrelflight, senior warriors Brackenfur and Cloudtail, and the medicine cat Leafpool to represent ThunderClan. Rowanstar brought his medicine cat Leafpool, his deputy Crowfrost, and his warriors Tigerheart and Cloverfoot to back up ShadowClan. Onestar had his deputy Harespring, his medicine cat Kestrelflight, and the warriors Breezepelt and Heathertail to stand for WindClan. Mistystar brought her deputy Reedwhisker, her medicine cats Mothwing and Willowshine, and her warriors Mintfur and Mallownose.

The leaders sat in a ring with their followers sitting behind them. Crane's Wing sat with Stoneteller and Leafstar on either side of him and the other four clan leaders at their sides and across from him. Jayfeather and Claystone sat closest, almost in the ring but hanging back enough to make it clear that they weren't interested in taking a place in it. Crane's Wing wasn't sure if he wanted to either but he knew he had to.

"We have a lot to talk about," Onestar growled.

"Agreed," Crane's Wing said. "The Tribe of Darkest Void-"

"Isn't an immediate concern," Rowanstar interrupted. "Your story from the gathering could change things for the clans."

Crane's Wing's eyes narrowed and he lashed his tail. "That's not important! All of our groups are coming together again now. What happened in the past doesn't matter."

"The past is doomed to repeat itself," Mistystar noted. "Tell us, what happened to your tribe?"

Crane's Wing willed himself to calm down. "I received a dream warning me of the attack. The three were tribecats once and they are my friends so they came with me but even their powers couldn't stop the Tribe of Darkest Void's numbers and savagery. They are a massive tribe, bigger than even the Tribe of Sacred Lines, and they fought alongside badgers and foxes. They slaughtered us."

"Hopefully they're busy licking their wounds," Bramblestar said. "They won't come after us now."

"A lot of time has passed since that battle. My tribe lives very far away. By monsterback, it can take moons to get there. And we visited SkyClan's gorge and the Tribe's mountains on our way back. I heard that they were returning home to ask their ancestors where the remains of the original tribe are."

"Can StarClan fight them? Can your ancestors fight them?" Mistystar asked. She looked to the three. "I don't know how true your story is but I know you have powers. Can…?"

"Those in the Astral Plane cannot intervene," Jayfeather said.

"We were able to because it was destiny," Dovewing added. Crane's Wing did not miss the way Tigerheart looked away but Dovewing continued. "Destiny does not show that Astral power will aid this fight."

"Other than our own, of course," Lionblaze inputted. "I can fight, Dovewing can warn us, and Jayfeather might be able to bring StarClan and the Tribe of Endless Hunting and maybe even the Tribe of the Sky together."

"Could our enemies call upon their ancestors?" Bramblestar asked.

Crane's Wing shrugged. "I don't know."

"This is mousebrained," Rowanstar said. "A large group of cats fighting with foxes and badgers? Slaughter like that? Cats aren't capable of that. Not even twolegs are."

"You're the only leader who wasn't around during BloodClan," Onestar spoke. "Cats are capable of that kind of evil. Some of them… They were savage."

"Jay's Wing mentioned this BloodClan once when we were exchanging histories," Scorch Eyes spoke up. "Some of BloodClan's numbers were just rogues and loners pulled into another's fight. The Tribe of Darkest Void are direct descendants of the original tribe, as all of us are, and they have lived under Black Spot's influence for generations. They are as cold hearted as crows in the mountain's winter blizzards."

"This is like the Dark Forest," Bramblestar spoke up. "Enemies of the clans' past are returning to wipe us out. We know they're coming. We need to work together again if we're going to survive."

"Agreed," Mistystar said. "Should we use the same plans as before? Rotate warriors through the camps and collect resources?"

Onestar nodded. "That would be best. Rowanstar? Do you agree?"

"Yes," Rowanstar muttered.

"SkyClan will help," Leafstar said.

"So will the Tribe of Rushing Water," Stoneteller added. He glanced at the leaders. "I understand territory is important here. If Leafstar and I retrieved some of our cats, would you allow us to live here?"

The four leaders exchanged glances. Hope fluttered in Crane's Wing's belly.

"RiverClan can take the Tribe of Rushing Water," Mistystar offered. "Stormfur will be welcomed if ThunderClan does not wish for him to return to them."

"ThunderClan is best suited to take SkyClan," Scorch Eyes spoke up. "The only clan cats SkyClan knows are Firestar and Sandstorm of ThunderClan plus the clans founders were father and son. SkyClan cats are built to live in the forest and hold bonds with ThunderClan cats."

"Fine. ThunderClan will take SkyClan," Bramblestar said. He looked to Rowanstar and Onestar. "One of you will need to take the remains of the Tribe of Sacred Lines and one will need to shift your borders inward, temporarily at least."

Rowanstar and Onestar looked to Crane's Wing. The tom shuffled his paws. "Um, the tribe is used to living in both open land and forest. There aren't many of us. Including myself and the three, there are only a dozen of us left."

Leafpool blinked in surprise and looked to her sons. "Do you two want to leave ThunderClan?"

"Jay's Wing has always walked with the Ancients," Jayfeather said ominously, sounding distant. "I am of both the Tribe of Rushing Water and the Tribe of Sacred Lines."

"Dove's Wing founded the Tribe of Sacred Lines," Dovewing spoke up.

"Lion's Roar's heart and paws have always stood with the Tribe of Rushing Water," Lionblaze added. "We need our powers for this fight. We may as well embrace our ancient spirits."

"If Dovewing will stay with the Tribe of Sacred Lines, WindClan's moor is best," Onestar spoke up. "The sound carries clearly there."

"But-" Tigerheart protested but Rowanstar silenced him with a wave of his tail.

"Fine. ShadowClan will shift its borders inward," Rowanstar said, "but only when SkyClan and the tribes arrive."

"Stoneteller and I can go to the mountains," Lionblaze said.

"I'm sure Jayfeather would like to travel with Crane's Wing so I can go with Leafstar to SkyClan," Dovewing said. Her eyes glinted in amusement. "It might be nice to get away from the toms."

Leafstar purred. "I agree. Dovewing and I can get my warriors."

"My cave guards will proudly fight with the clans," Stoneteller said, "and I'm sure Lionblaze's fighting skill can rub off on my prey-hunters."

"Crane's Wing and I can bring the remains of the lines," Jayfeather added. "Their knowledge help us."

"Then it's decided," Onestar spoke. "The clans will stand together."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the late-ish update but you got a double update last time. Tbh, I only wrote this chapter because I wanted to listen to Warriors songs and it felt wrong to do that while writing Naruto fanfic and I've got several chapters backed up for Broken Nature. I know I always say that I don't like this story due to the writing style I used and that I plan on rewriting it but really, my other Warriors stories are so much better. Go check out The Wrong Pawsteps and Broken Nature if you're interested.


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Note:** Minor time skip. Three collected the two tribes and SkyClan. Everyone's back at the lake and have been preparing.

* * *

_"Come,"_ the voice said.

Crane's Wing blinked. _What?_

_"Come," the voice repeated. "Come to where it all began."_

Crane's Wing suddenly jolted awake. When he did, he found Jayfeather sitting over him, blind eyes glowing with knowledge in the dark of the night. He blinked at him. For once, Crane's Wing wasn't startled by his presence. Jayfeather always seemed to know when he had dreams.

"What did he say?" Jayfeather asked.

"We need to go to where it all began," Crane's Wing whispered.

Jayfeather dipped his head. "It's been three moons. Your tribe, the Tribe of Rushing Water, and SkyClan have been here awhile. We've all been training. There are tensions through all clans and tribes. Do you think it's finally time?"

Crane's Wing rose to his paws. "This fight isn't something to look forward to. Cats will die."

Jayfeather was unfazed. "Sometimes death is better than living in fear."

"True," Crane's Wing said. "Help me get all the leaders and medicine cats?"

Jayfeather dipped his head. "Of course. See you at the lake."

* * *

It was past moonhigh when Stoneteller, Leafstar and Echosong, Bramblestar and Leafpool, Rowanstar and Littlecloud, Onestar and Kestrelflight, Mistystar and Willowshine, and Crane's Wing and the three arrived at the lake. Needless to say, the leaders weren't happy at being woken so late in the night.

"What are we doing here?" Onestar grumbled, fur puffing out in the cold. "And why aren't we at the island gathering place? There's nothing special about the lake."

"You'll see," Crane's Wing murmured despite not knowing what was going to happen more than any cat. He had faith that the sender of his dreams would do something. "Just wait until dawn."

Echosong blinked. "You said this lake was what showed all of the prophecies and omens?"

"After the first dawn," Jayfeather said, gazing out at the water. "It was beautiful."

Lionblaze shouldered his brother playfully. "You weren't there, mouse brain."

Jayfeather butted him back. "I helped kit you. You can't say anything."

"Glad to see your memories flow through your minds so strongly," a voice rumbled.

The assembled cats all whipped around, startled. The sun began to creep up over the horizon, shining its brilliant rays onto the lake's surface, illuminating it. There was the sound of water rising and three figures began to wade out of the water with long, confident strides that showed power with each step.

The cats' eyes went wide. Entranced, the three stepped forward and stood beside each of the figures.

A cat, hairless and wrinkled with age, turned to face the cats. His bulging blind eyes swept over them. Dovewing flanked him.

A badger, pelt as black as night and well muscled body hulking compared to the lithe cats, took heavy steps out of the water. Her paws left no pawprints but Lionblaze did as he coiled around her.

A fox, pelt shining and healthy, walked with gracefulness and precision. His yellow eyes were sharp compared to Jayfeather's murky blue eyes but the pair looked as if they were meant to stand beside each other.

Crane's Wing breathed. "Midnight. Cloud. Rock."

"Indeed," Midnight rumbled.

"It is time," Cloud said.

"The remains of half of our once great Tribe of Cats has reunited and grown strong," Rock spoke. He looked to Dovewing. "The heir of my power will warn you. The time is coming."

Dovewing's ears pricked. "They're coming," she breathed. "They're on the other side of the horizon. They'll be on us. StarClan, there are so many."

"StarClan will aid you," Midnight said, "as well as the Tribes of Endless Hunting and the Sky and whoever else we can bring to help you. The time to fight has come."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I think this story will end at 30 chapters. I'm tired of writing it, it needs to end.

I have a new story. It's called Vines. It's a Pokemon writing challenge I did like a year and a half ago.


	29. Chapter 29

Crane's Wing woke at dawn to a yowl piercing the camp.

"I hear them! The Tribe of Darkest Void, they're coming!" Dovewing yowled.

The cats were awake in an instant. Ignoring the nervous prickling in his belly and paws, Crane's Wing crossed the camp in a few quick strides. He, the three, and the remains of his tribe were staying with WindClan on the moor. He stood beside Onestar and faced the camp.

"Apprentices, you're runners in this battle. Go tell the other camps," Onestar ordered.

"Where are they coming from?" Crane's Wing asked Dovewing.

"They'll hit the moor first," Dovewing told him.

"Good," Crane's Wing said. "An open place is a good place to fight."

"We won't have any cover," Lionblaze pointed out.

"Last time we fought them, we were in a forest and we got slaughtered," Lynx's Roar said.

"We're all going to die," Scorch Eyes said.

"Some of us will. We fight for the survival of the remaining tribes and clans," Crane's Wing said.

Onestar looked to Harespring. "Get the elders, queens, and kits to safety. You know where?"

Harespring nodded. "The twolegplace. StarClan, I can't believe I'm taking them to the twolegplace."

"In the Dark Forest battle, our enemies focused on them," Onestar said. "The only cats on the field who need protection will be cats who are doing something. We have a medicine cat on each territory, yes?"

Dovewing nodded. Jayfeather whisked his tail. "As much as I hate to say it, we might not want to waste time and herbs healing cats in battle. Lnyx's Roar is right, the last battle had too many casualties. If a cat is injured, there will be no safe place for them and more cats will just get injured if we try to protect them."

Onestar's eyes narrowed. "You are a medicine cat. You will heal."

"He is also a sharpclaw. A blind one but a prophesied and sacred cat," Crane's Wing spoke. "Jayfeather, we're sticking together during this fight like we did the last one. The clans and tribes will need the three's power."

"Warriors, follow Lionblaze and Dovewing to the edge of the territory. We will be the first line," Onestar said.

Crane's Wing swallowed as he watched the lithe warriors pad away. Ideally, the sturdy ThunderClan cats would make first contact, not the fast WindClan cats. Crane's Wing pawed the grass. _Each line of my tribe was the size of a clan. There were fifteen lines and only a dozen cats survived. We don't even have half the number of cats here now._

Jayfeather seemed to read his thoughts and put a tail tip on his shoulder. "Your tribe never trained to fight. Clans are made of warriors and the Tribe of Rushing Water is strong and fast. Everything will be fine."

Crane's Wing nodded. "We're already having a bad start though."

"I know," Jayfeather said. "We should head to forested territory. If you and I are going to fight, we'll need the cover. And we should make sure all the warriors are spread out like we planned."

Crane's Wing nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Crane's Wing and Jayfeather took refuge in the trees at the ThunderClan border alongside the rest of the clan's warriors. Apparently, there was once a battle between ThunderClan and ShadowClan where ThunderClan got the upper paw by raining down on the ShadowClan cats from the branches. Bramblestar was hoping that the same strategy would work here. Not to mention that SkyClan cats were built for fighting in the trees.

In the distance, Crane's Wing could see that several WindClan cats were fleeing from their place at the forefront. The Tribe of Darkest Void had arrived and were pushing inward. They deviated, heading to the different territories.

"Are those badgers?" a SkyClan warrior named Harrybrook asked.

"And foxes," Jayfeather said. "Get ready."

The cats, foxes, and badgers broke the treeline. When they did, the clan cats leaped down on them, landing square on their backs and clawing them furiously with angry shrieks.

Jayfeather and Crane's Wing landed on a badger's back, Jayfeather on the face and Crane's Wing near the rear. Jayfeather quickly found the badger's eyes and jabbed his claws into them, causing the badger to bellow in pain.

"Go for the eyes!" Jayfeather yowled. "They can't fight blind!"

Crane's Wing sank his teeth into the badger's tail, making it roar again. It shook itself violently, throwing Crane's Wing and Jayfeather off, and ran.

Crane's Wing saw a fox running at him and Jayfeather so he quickly shoved Jayfeather up a tree like they had in the last battle. Jayfeather didn't protest. Instead, he turned and sprayed as if laying down a scent marker, making the fox howl.

"Good move!" Crane's Wing praised.

Jayfeather prepared to do it again but froze suddenly and looked upward at the sky with sightless blue eyes. "Look."

Crane's Wing looked up, unsure of what he was supposed to be looking at. Then he saw it. Cats with stars in their pelts were fighting cats with faded pelts on top of the clouds.

"StarClan and our ancestors are fighting with us!" Crane's Wing exclaimed.

"But their ancestors are keeping them from helping us down here," Jayfeather pointed out. "Come on, we need to find Lionblaze and Black Spot."

* * *

They found Lionblaze still on the moor, fighting alongside Dovewing and WindClan warriors. Bodies and blood of both sides stained the grass. Dovewing heard them coming and pulled herself and Lionblaze away from the fight to meet them.

Lionblaze didn't seem to want to pull away. It was clear the responsibility of his power was weighing down on him. "I just left Breezepelt."

Crane's Wing felt a pang of sympathy. After so long, the brothers were on good terms and Lionblaze just left him in a fight that had already claimed so many.

"We need to find Black Spot so we can end this," Jayfeather said.

"He's got power from the black spots in the sky," Dovewing pointed out. "If we kill him, he will keep coming back."

"Then we've got to keep him down," Lionblaze growled. He looked to Jayfeather. "Can you tell where he is?"

Jayfeather nodded. "The Astral Beasts are on their way too. They'll be able to back us up too."

"Lead the way."

* * *

They found Black Spot on the other side of the moor standing over a WindClan warrior. Nearby, his tribemates were fighting cats from RiverClan and ShadowClan. There were very few foxes and badgers around but it seemed that the tribecats were winning.

"There," Jayfeather said, lifting his chin in Black Spot's direction. "Get him Lionblaze."

The targeted tom seemed to sense them as well. His red eyes gleamed. "Lion's Roar. I've waited for this."

Lionblaze growled and launched himself at the tribe leader. Crane's Wing wanted to watch but a black tom suddenly pounced on him. Crane's Wing screeched and clawed at the body on top of him. The cat hissed and clamped his teeth down on his ear.

Dovewing barreled into the attacker and Jayfeather tried to claw his exposed belly but the cat pushed the two back with ease.

"It's Arch!" Dovewing realized.

"Who in the name of StarClan is that?" Jayfeather snapped.

"He's Black Spot's deputy."

"Snake was my brother," Arch growled. "Now that our leader controls him, I will fight to the end to protect him."

Crane's Wing wanted to argue but the tom threw himself at the three cats again. Crane's Wing shoved Jayfeather, earning himself a set of claw marks on his shoulder. He hissed in pain but was glad he took the hit instead of the medicine cat. _Maybe taking Jayfeather was a mistake. Sharpclaw or not, he's still blind._

His doubts faded as Jayfeather weaved around his lookalike and raked his claws down the side of Arch's face. The tom hissed and reeled back.

Crane's Wing prepared to attack again but he heard loud snarling coming from Lionblaze and Black Spot's direction. Black Spot was on the ground, blood pooling around him and staining the grass.

Black Spot's eyes stretched wide and suddenly the redness was gone. They returned to yellow just as the light died from them.

Arch was back on top of him. Crane's Wing yowled and the two were suddenly face to face. Orange eyes gone, red eyes stared at him.

"Fools," Black Spot mocked. "I cannot die. As long as my tribe lives, my spirit will live on through one of them."

"Lionblaze!" Crane's Wing yowled. "Black Spot's spirit is in Arch's body now."

Lionblaze yowled and launched himself at Black Spot, knocking him off Crane's Wing and pinning him under his weight. Wasting no time, he sank his teeth into the vulnerable flesh of his neck.

Black Spot didn't look pained in the slightest. In fact, there was a thrill in his eyes as the life died in them and the blood red coloring disappeared.

Lionblaze growled as he released the body. "Someone tell me when you see him!"

Around them, the cats stopped fighting for a few heartbeats. The tribecats stiffened, clearly fearful that Black Spot's spirit was going to inhabit them next. The warriors took advantage of this and pinned them down.

There was loud hissing as a black and white tom- Crane's Wing recognized him as Coil- attacked a RiverClan warrior. For a brief moment, Crane's Wing saw red flash in his eyes but before he could sink his teeth or claws into the cat under him, something knocked him away.

A massive badger roared and lunged at him. Lionblaze's eyes lit up. "Midnight!"

More foxes, badgers, and cats rushed onto the moorland but instead of turning against the clan and Rushing Water and Lines tribecats, they turned against Black Spot's cats.

Midnight pinned Coil whose body was now clearly identified as the one Black Spot was possessing. She snarled victoriously. "We have him. Now, we will end this."


	30. Chapter 30

Midnight, Rock, and Cloud stood together. Badgers, cats, and foxes stood behind them, ready to fight. The animals of the Tribe of Darkest Void glanced around nervously, outnumbered on this particular part of the battlefield.

"Chase them into the tunnels," Rock ordered. The new coming foxes, badgers, and cats cried in acknowledgement and began chasing them. The warriors scattered, running off to help their allies on other territories and inform them of what happened.

Midnight held Black Spot in her jaws, careful not to kill him. The tom's red eyes were livid with anger. "You can't keep me here. Don't you know who I am?"

"A cat foolish enough to ignore my warnings and wishes after all I did for you and bargained with evil," Cloud growled, stalking up to the tribe leader. "A cat who sought to destroy the remains everything my friends and I built so long ago."

Black Spot's eyes gleamed. "I cannot die. I'll finish this one day."

Cloud looked amused. "You can only keep your spirit on the living plane. You have no other power. We can end you."

Black Spot's eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything.

Rock's blind eyes watched the creatures chase Black Spot's followers. "Maybe now the time has come to realize our dream."

Crane's Wing blinked. "To unify our species."

"Black Spot did it," Jayfeather pointed out. "Not for the best reasons but it proved we could coexist."

"The clans would never accept us," Midnight pointed out.

"You can come to the field where my tribe lives," Crane's Wing offered. "It has a lot of space and there are so few of us."

The three beasts exchanged a glance. "We might just take you up on that."

* * *

Crane's Wing hadn't seen a lot of the fighting but the battle had raged for a long time until the last of the Tribe of Darkest Void were chased off territory or into the tunnels. The cats, badgers, and foxes that Rock, Midnight, and Cloud brought now sat with the cats of SkyClan, ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, WindClan, the Tribe of Rushing Water, and the Tribe of Sacred Lines around the lake.

Jayfeather leaned against Crane's Wing. Crane's Wing saw that his blind eyes held a much heavier look than they usually did. Undoubtedly, his powers were making him feel the grief of all the animals around him. There were many casualties. Crane's Wing didn't know many cats from other clans but he knew that from ThunderClan Cloudtail, Whitewing, Mousewhisker, Poppyfrost, Rosepetal, Blossomfall, Bumblestripe, Molewhisker, Ambermoon, Lilyheart, and Sorrelstripe had been killed. From the Lines, Skua's Wing, Crest, and Dust had died. Those cats alone hurt Crane's Wing more than he could bear. He couldn't imagine feeling the grief of every other animal here.

Cloud stepped behind the two and rested his muzzle on the toms' heads. "Even the earth under our paws grieves but animalkind always recovers. When we stare death in the face and survive, we become stronger."

Crane's Wing and Jayfeather didn't say anything. Both leaned against the large fox, oddly comforted by the other animal's presence.

"We must bury the dead," Midnight said. "The crows and buzzards will be attracted to the scent of death."

"We are all exhausted, mentally and physically," Rowanstar said. "How will be dig so many graves?"

"A story is passed through my line," Scorch Eyes spoke up. "After the clans' first battle, all cats worked together to dig one great grave at the fourtrees so the dead of the battle could be honored together forever."

Mistystar blinked. "I never knew the fourtrees was a grave."

Scorch Eyes dipped his head. "It was. We should dig a hole in each territory and place the dead there. Every creature will work together."

"They should become shared spaces," Bramblestar spoke, "so that cats can visit their kin and clanmates even if they died on another clan's territory."

"Agreed," Onestar said. He looked to the animals that the Astral Beasts brought. "Will you help us?"

Slowly, they nodded.

Through the heaviness of grief, Crane's Wing felt hope spark in his chest. Hope that the dreams of the three creatures cursed to walk this world forever would finally become a reality.

* * *

**Author's Note:** And finally we're done.

If you couldn't tell by my many author's notes, I became unsatisfied with this story, especially as it neared the end. I know some of you enjoyed it and I wish I could have written a better ending but I just wanted to finish it. Some day I will rewrite this story starting with when Cloud, Midnight, and Rock first met but I don't know when that will happen. If you would like to be notified when that story is published, let me know.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, favorited this story. You're the real reason this story ever finished.


End file.
